Assessment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adult alcoholics

This study examined the relationship of alcoholics' self-report of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (retrospectively and currently) to objective measures of attentional ability, and to alcohol-related characteristics. Forty-six male alcoholics presenting for substance abuse treatment were administered the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), a current self-report attentional symptom questionnaire, objective attentional measures, the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, a drug use history questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Twenty-eight percent of the sample scored above established cutoffs for both the retrospective and current symptom questionnaires. However, the self-report and objective measures of attention were not significantly correlated. Only 9% of the sample showed both high rates of self-report endorsement of attentional difficulties and objective attentional impairment. As predicted, depressive symptoms (high BDI scores) were associated with increased self-report of attentional problems. Presence of a DSM Axis I or Axis II diagnosis was also associated with increased retrospective self-report of ADHD symptoms. These findings have important implications for the assessment, differential diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD in alcoholic populations.