Exploring the co-morbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors in a nationally representative community-based sample

• ADHD was predicative of diagnosed eating disorders with females but not males.
• The co-occurrence of ADHD and disordered eating behavior did not differ by gender.
• ADHD predicted binging and/or purging behaviors but not restrictive behaviors.

Emerging evidence signifies the co-occurrence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with clinical and sub-threshold disordered eating behaviors. However, many existing studies have assessed this co-occurrence among inpatient or intensive outpatient populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the co-occurrence of ADHD with clinical eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors in a nationally representative sample via a secondary data analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 4,862; 2,243 males; 2,619 females). Results reveal that females have higher rates of co-occurrence of ADHD and diagnosed eating disorders than males (1.05% vs. 0.20%, p < .01). When controlling for age and race, ADHD predicted diagnosed eating disorders in females (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 2.06; 95% CI: 1.09–3.88; p < .05), but did not predict diagnosed eating disorders in males. With regard to disordered eating behaviors, when controlling for age, gender, and race, ADHD significantly predicted disordered eating behaviors (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.21–2.74). When stratifying by type of disordered eating behavior, ADHD predicted binging and/or purging behavior (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.78–4.61), but not restrictive behaviors. Implications of study findings pertain to both secondary/targeted prevention efforts in addition to tertiary prevention via patient-specific treatment plans.