Sensation seeking and cocaine dependence in adults with reported childhood ADHD

International audienceObjective: To compare measures of sensation seeking in a clinical group of cocaine-dependent (CD) patients with and without a history of probable childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and in non-cocaine-dependent (NCD) healthy volunteers. Method: Patients (n=75; 42 with and 33 without probable childhood ADHD) and comparisons (n=84) were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies, the Wender Utah Rating Scale for childhood ADHD, and the Zuckerman Seeking Sensation Scale. Results: We found significantly higher prevalence rates of probable childhood ADHD in CD vs. NCD (p< 0.001). The mean total scores of sensation seeking were significantly higher in CD vs. NCD participants (p< 0.001) as well as in CD patients with vs. those without a probable history of childhood ADHD (p< 0.001). Conclusions: Our study set the basis for longitudinal investigation assessing if the persistence of high level of sensation seeking in adults with childhood ADHD contribute to the transition to cocaine dependence