ADHD and Smoking Contribute to Dropping out of High School
A new study has found that teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to drop out of high school or finish high school later than students with other mental health disorders that are considered more serious. Researchers from the UC Davis School of Medicine also found that teens who smoke cigarettes are at a significantly higher risk of dropping out of school. Symptoms of ADHD include trouble paying attention, daydreaming, being easily distracted, and struggling with staying seated.
The study’s senior author Julie Schweitzer, an expert on ADHD at the UC Davis MIND Institute and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, said that many people think that students with disciplinary problems are more likely to drop out of school, but their study shows that students with ADHD are more likely to leave school early or finish later than other students.
The researchers found that about 32 percent students with ADHD (a combination of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms) drop out of high school, whereas 15 percent of students without a psychiatric disorder drop out.
Elizabeth Miller, an assistant professor of pediatrics and an adolescent medicine specialist at UC Davis Children's Hospital, said that it’s important to understand the factors that lead to dropping out of high school, considering that one-third of American teens don’t finish high school on time. She added that providing better treatment for students could help reduce the number of teens who drop out of school.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about 4.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 were diagnosed with ADHD in 2006, and that about 9.5 percent of boys and 5.9 percent of girls are diagnosed.
The researchers found that another reason for dropping out of school is conduct disorder, which includes behaviors such as truancy, vandalism, lying, aggression, stealing, and breaking rules. About 31 percent of students with conduct disorder drop out of school.
Lead author Joshua Breslau, associate professor of internal medicine, said their study shows that there are multiple reasons behind poor high school performance.
In the study, the researchers looked at data collected in 2001-2002 from about 43,000 male and female students. They excluded respondents if they had less than eight years of education or moved to the United States after 13. After exclusion, 29, 662 respondents were included in the study.
Students with ADHD had the highest dropout rates, followed by those with mania and panic disorder (26.6 and 24.9 percent). Other disorders like specific phobias, social phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and depression accounted for dropouts in the percentage range of high ‘teens to low 20s.
Tobacco use was found to account for 29 percent of school dropouts. Twenty percent of students who drank alcohol and 24.6 percent of those who used drugs dropped out. Breslau said that teens who smoke have a much higher risk of dropping out than kids who drink or use drugs—a finding that warrants further research.
Breslau added that their studies suggest that school performance may be improved by focusing on a narrower range of mental health conditions such as ADHD and conduct disorder.
