The Romantic Relationships of Adolescents with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The present study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with regard to romantic involvement, partner identity, relationship content, and relationship quality. A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13-18, completed a standardized battery of questionnaires. Adolescents with ADHD reported having more romantic partners than their typically developing (TD) peers. Females with ADHD were found to have shorter romantic relationships than TD adolescents while males with ADHD reported their age of first intercourse to be nearly two years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. When choosing a romantic partner, adolescents with ADHD placed less importance on aspects of their partner’s academic and social competence than TD adolescents. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression and relationship quality.MAS