Long-term effect of pharmacological treatment on academic achievement of Norwegian children diagnosed with ADHD: a target trial emulation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. For many patients, treatment involves long-term medication in order to reduce symptoms, regulate behaviour, and, hopefully, improve school performance and achievement. However, there is little to no evidence to support a long-term effect on the latter complex outcomes.

Methods

We utilize a target trial framework to emulate a pretest-posttest control group design and estimate the intention-to-treat effect of ADHD medication on national test scores in children diagnosed with ADHD born between 2000 and 2007 in Norway. The data were obtained through linkage of Norwegian registries (NorPD, Norwegian Prescription Database; NPR, Norwegian Patient Registry;

SUBMITTER: Varnet Perez T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11829807 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature