Genetic and non-shared environmental factors (factors experienced by one child to the exclusion of his siblings) have been strongly implicated in the aetiology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Shared environmental factors were not implicated. Pregnancy, labour/delivery and neonatal complications (PLDNC) were often associated to ADHD. However, no investigations aimed at delineating the shared/non-shared nature of these factors were reported. In order to identify PLDNC which are more likely to be non-shared, we recruited 65 children with ADHD and assessed their history for PLDNC. 45 of them had non-affected siblings that were also assessed for PLDNC. Compared to their non-affected siblings, ADHD children had significantly higher neonatal complications (p = 0.01). Furthermore, neonatal complications were associated with higher motor activity (p = 0.04) and attention deficits (p = 0.03) in ADHD diagnosed children, suggesting that neonatal complications are more likely to be non-shared environmental factors of etiological relevance to ADHD.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.32760 |
Date | January 2002 |
Creators | Ben Amor, Leila. |
Contributors | Joober, R. (advisor), Grizenko, N. (advisor) |
Publisher | McGill University |
Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Format | application/pdf |
Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Psychiatry.) |
Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
Relation | alephsysno: 001862713, proquestno: MQ78832, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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