Associations between social leisure activities and ADHD symptoms in a longitudinal community-based sample.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of social leisure activities (SLA) and ADHD symptoms of adolescents in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986). Our hypothesis is that higher SLA may be associated with lower ADHD symptoms. METHOD: The study population consists of 4 478 participants from NFBC1986 who had data on prenatal risk factors, hyperactivity at 8 years of age, ADHD symptoms at 16 years of age, and SLA at 16 years of age. Hyperactivity at 8 years of age was assessed using the RutterB2 scale for teachers. ADHD symptoms at 16 years of age were assessed using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviors (SWAN) rating scale completed by parents. The SLA at 16 years of age was divided into three categories, low, middle, and high, based on the social attributes of the adolescents' leisure activities. The associations between ADHD symptoms and SLA were evaluated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: An association was found between high SLA and lower ADHD symptoms. Hyperactivity at 8 years of age and male sex were the associated with more ADHD symptoms, while higher SLA was linked to lower amount of ADHD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that SLA associate with decreased ADHD symptoms in a large community-based sample that accurately represents the Finnish youth. Further studies are required to extend our findings.