How important is early home environment in the prediction of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescence? The protective role of early cognitive stimulation

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly heritable; however, an adequate home environment may moderate its development. This study examined the early home environment of 70 male adolescents (M age = 13.5 years, SD = 0.95) participating in a prospective high-risk longitudinal study. Results demonstrated that adolescents who were eventually diagnosed with ADHD tended to have higher home chaos and less enriched home environments in early childhood. Within the different aspects of enriched home environment, less cognitive stimulation—but not less emotional/physical support—was found between diagnosed and nondiagnosed adolescents. This effect was also found among the subgroup of those who, a priori, were at familial risk for ADHD. Early cognitive stimulation longitudinally predicted both ADHD diagnosis and ADHD symptom domains, above and beyond parental ADHD symptoms and other aspects of the early home environment. Results suggest the possible protective role of early cognitive stimulation in the development of ADHD. Highlights: This study examined the aspects of early childhood home environment that serve as risk/protective factors in the developmental course of ADHD. Early cognitive stimulation, but not home chaos and emotional/physical environment, longitudinally predicted both ADHD symptoms and diagnosis in adolescence. Early cognitive stimulation might have a protective role in the developmental course of ADHD.