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Neuropediatrics 2023; 54(04): 266-272
DOI: 10.1055/a-1988-2719
Original Article

Risk-Taking Behaviors in Children with ADHD Compared to Children with Primary Headaches

Gidon Nathan Winter
1   Department of Pediatric Neurology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
,
Adi Aran
1   Department of Pediatric Neurology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
,
Yehuda Pollak 
1   Department of Pediatric Neurology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
› Author Affiliations Funding This research was enabled by a grant from Maccabi Institute for Research & Innovation, Maccabi Medical Services (HMO), Israel.
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Abstract

The study examined the engagement in risk-taking behaviors and their onset in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with children with primary headaches. Whether ADHD is associated with higher engagement in risk-taking behavior compared with other neurodevelopmental disorders (and not only typical development) has yet to be demonstrated. A sample of 189 children, 10 to 18 years old, undergoing neurological surveillance for ADHD (N = 144) or primary headaches (N = 45) participated in the study. The children and their parents reported the children's engagement in various risk-taking behaviors. The ADHD group reported a higher level of general risk-taking behavior relative to the headache group. The differences remained significant even after controlling for demographic and clinical variables. No differences in the age of onset of risk-taking behaviors were found. It is concluded that risk-taking behavior is more common in children with ADHD under active neurological surveillance than in children followed for primary headaches.

Keywords

ADHD - primary headaches - risk-taking behavior

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 23 August 2022

Accepted: 18 November 2022

Accepted Manuscript online:
28 November 2022

Article published online:
12 January 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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