Maternal ADHD diagnoses before and after childbirth: a Danish population-based cohort study

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dc.contributor.authorMadsen, Kathrine Bang en
dc.contributor.authorWinther, Metteen
dc.contributor.authorJensen, Amalie Theaen
dc.contributor.authorMarcussen, Katrineen
dc.contributor.authorMunk-Olsen, Trineen
dc.contributor.authorWesselhoeft, Rikkeen
dc.contributor.authorKittel-Schneider, Sarahen
dc.contributor.funderSygeforsikringen “danmark”en
dc.date.accessioned2025-11-27T14:09:46Z
dc.date.available2025-11-27T14:09:46Z
dc.date.issued2025-10-09en
dc.description.abstractObjective: The rates of women of reproductive age diagnosed with ADHD have increased significantly. However, little is known about how pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period influence ADHD related problems, help-seeking behaviors or the timing of ADHD diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate incident ADHD diagnoses among women from 5 years before to 5 years after childbirth. Method: The population-based cohort study utilized Danish nationwide registers to identify mothers of all childbirths between 2010 and 2018. ADHD diagnoses, defined as ICD-10 codes (F90 or F98.8) or redemption of ADHD medication prescriptions, were recorded during 1994 to 2023. Women who received an ADHD diagnosis prior to the five-year pre-birth period were excluded. We estimated calendar-year adjusted incidence of first-time maternal ADHD diagnoses using Poisson regression, and compared incidence across pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, postpartum up to 2 years, and 2 to 5 years postpartum, reporting adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Analyses included psychiatric comorbidities and non-ADHD psychotropic medication use prior to an ADHD diagnosis, for women diagnosed with ADHD postpartum. Results: The study included 363,904 mothers with a total of 524,936 childbirths. ADHD incidence rates decreased significantly during pregnancy (IRR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.22, 0.37]), remained lower than the pre-pregnancy period 2 years postpartum (IRR 0.82, 95% CI [0.74, 0.92]), and increased significantly above pre-pregnancy levels 2 to 5 years postpartum (IRR = 1.24, 95% CI [1.13, 1.35]). Among mothers diagnosed with ADHD postpartum, 53.9% had an in- or outpatient contact to psychiatric services or redeemed non-ADHD psychotropic medication prescriptions, in the period from childbirth until ADHD diagnosis. Conclusion: Incident ADHD diagnoses among women giving birth increased postpartum above pre-pregnancy levels, with peak rates observed between 2 and 5 years after childbirth. These findings highlight the postpartum period as a potential critical window of ADHD symptom worsening, underscoring the need for targeted mental health screenings and support for women during the years after childbirth.en
dc.description.sponsorshipSygeforsikringen “danmark” (journalnr. 2021-0139)en
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.articleidp.10870547251372730en
dc.identifier.citationMadsen, K. B., Winther, M., Jensen, A. T., Marcussen, K., Munk-Olsen, T., Wesselhoeft, R. and Kittel-Schneider, S. (2025) 'Maternal ADHD diagnoses before and after childbirth: a Danish population-based cohort study', Journal of Attention Disorders, p.10870547251372730. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251372730en
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/10870547251372730en
dc.identifier.issn1087-0547en
dc.identifier.issn1557-1246en
dc.identifier.journaltitleJournal of Attention Disordersen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18290
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherSAGE Publishingen
dc.relation.ispartofJournal of Attention Disordersen
dc.rights© 2025, the Authors. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of the following article: Madsen, K. B., Winther, M., Jensen, A. T., Marcussen, K., Munk-Olsen, T., Wesselhoeft, R. and Kittel-Schneider, S. (2025) 'Maternal ADHD diagnoses before and after childbirth: a Danish population-based cohort study', Journal of Attention Disorders, p.10870547251372730. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251372730en
dc.subjectADHDen
dc.subjectPregnancyen
dc.subjectChildbirthen
dc.subjectPostpartum psychiatric disordersen
dc.subjectIncidenceen
dc.titleMaternal ADHD diagnoses before and after childbirth: a Danish population-based cohort studyen
dc.typeArticle (peer-reviewed)en
dc.typejournal-articleen
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