Maternal Sociodemographic Factors Are Associated With Methylphenidate Initiation in Children in the Netherlands: A Population-Based Study

Kiki Cheung*, Hanan El Marroun, Bram Dierckx, Loes Visser, Bruno Stricker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

8 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Multiple factors may contribute to the decision to initiate methylphenidate treatment in children such as maternal sociodemographic factors of which relatively little is known. The objective was to investigate the association between these factors and methylphenidate initiation. The study population included 4243 children from the Generation R Study in the Netherlands. Maternal sociodemographic characteristics were tested as determinants of methylphenidate initiation through a time-dependent Cox regression analysis. Subsequently, we stratified by mother-reported ADHD symptoms (present in 4.2% of the study population). When ADHD symptoms were absent, we found that girls (adjusted HR 0.25, 95%CI 0.16–0.39) and children born to a mother with a non-western ethnicity (compared to Dutch-Caucasian) (adjusted HR 0.42, 95%CI 015–0.68) were less likely to receive methylphenidate. They were more likely to receive methylphenidate when their mother completed a low (adjusted HR 2.29, 95%CI 1.10–4.77) or secondary (adjusted HR 1.71, 95%CI 1.16–2.54) education. In conclusion, boys and children born to a mother of Dutch-Caucasian ethnicity were more likely to receive methylphenidate, irrespective of the presence of ADHD symptoms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)332–342
Number of pages11
JournalChild Psychiatry & Human Development
Volume52
Issue number2
Early online date21 Jun 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Maternal Sociodemographic Factors Are Associated With Methylphenidate Initiation in Children in the Netherlands: A Population-Based Study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this