A study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, examining the frequency of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its connection to the likelihood of accidents among older adult drivers revealed that older adults diagnosed with ADHD face a substantially higher risk of being involved in crashes compared to those without ADHD.
What Does Research Say?
ADHD is a persistent neurodevelopmental condition characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. While often associated with childhood, ADHD can endure into adulthood and impact the daily functioning of older individuals. In the United States, ADHD is reported to have a prevalence of 9 percent to 13 percent among children under 17 years of age and 8 percent among adults aged 18 to 44 years, according to an article on Medscape. Improved diagnostic practices have contributed to an uptick in reported ADHD cases among adults in recent times. Typically, ADHD prevalence tends to decline as individuals age.
The study assessed outcomes such as instances of hard braking, self-reported traffic violations, and vehicle accidents. Prior to this research, investigations into the relationship between ADHD and driving safety predominantly focused on children and young adults, with few studies examining how ADHD relates to the risk of accidents among older adults. These findings have been published online in JAMA Network Open.
Elderly drivers with ADHD were over twice as prone to reporting engagement in traffic ticket incidents (22 per million miles driven) and vehicular accidents (27 per million miles driven) compared to those without ADHD, whose numbers were lower at 10 and 13.5 per million miles driven, respectively.
The researchers conducted an examination of information sourced from the Longitudinal Research on Aging Drivers (LongROAD) project, a comprehensive prospective study involving a cohort of individuals aged between 65 and 79 years. Over up to 44 months, they gathered data on driving behaviour, health, and medication utilization to evaluate the occurrence of ADHD.
The 2,832 adults who participated in the research fell within the age bracket of 65-79 years. The study’s participants were drawn from various states, including New York, Maryland, California, Michigan, and Colorado. 2.5 percent of the adults had ADHD. Among older adults who had anxiety or depression, the frequency of ADHD was 7.2 percent. After accounting for demographic factors and the presence of other health conditions, ADHD was linked to a 7 percent higher likelihood of experiencing hard-braking events, a notably elevated 102 percent greater likelihood of self-reported traffic ticket incidents, and a substantial 74 percent increased likelihood of self-reported vehicular accidents.
Rise in ADHD Prescriptions
The surge in ADHD diagnoses has been paralleled by an increase in the prescription of ADHD medications, resulting in a shortage of these medications at a national level in the US.
While obtaining Adderall has consistently proven to be a challenge, the alternative ADHD medications that patients have sought as substitutes have also been sporadically accessible. Dr. Michael Ganio, Senior Director of Pharmacy Practice and Quality at ASHP, noted in a report by PBS that this ongoing irregularity in the supply of alternatives is nearly as frustrating for many individuals as the initial shortage of Adderall.
The authors of the paper emphasized the need for effective interventions aimed at enhancing the diagnosis and clinical care of ADHD in older adults as the ageing driver population persists. This is essential to support safe mobility and promote healthy ageing.
