The Developmental Course of Hyperactive-Impulsive and Inattentive (HIA) Behavior in a Community Sample of Girls: A Group-Based Model of Development from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade

摘要

The goal of the present study was to extend our current understanding of the female-specific manifestations, developmental course, and outcomes of hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive (HIA) behaviors. This study modeled the developmental trajectories of hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive behavior in a population-based study of girls followed from kindergarten to fifth grade. Four trajectories of both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive behavior were identified. Joint trajectory analyses revealed an association between the highest trajectories of hyperactive-impulsive behavior and inattentive behavior. Similarly, the lowest level trajectories of both hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive behaviors showed a high degree of association. Contrary to expectations and descriptions of ADHD in girls, the number of girls assigned to both the highest trajectories of inattentive behavior and the lowest trajectories of hyperactive-impulsive behavior was extremely low. Teacher- and self-reported measures of child functioning varied by trajectory group membership across all models, suggesting that sub-clinical levels of HIA behavior are associated with adjustment difficulties in girls.