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Open Access

Societal Disruptions and Childhood ADHD Diagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Seth Freedman, Kelli Marquardt, Dario Salcedo, Kosali Simon and Coady Wing
Published online before print October 06, 2023, 1222-12708R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1222-12708R2
Seth Freedman
Seth Freedman is an Associate Professor in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington ();
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Kelli Marquardt
Kelli Marquardt is an Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago ();
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  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Dario Salcedo
Dario Salcedo is a PhD Student at the O’Neill School of Publice and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington;
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Kosali Simon
Kosali Simon is a Distinguished Professor in the O’Neill School of Publice and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research;
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Coady Wing
Coady Wing is an Associate Professor in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Bloomington.
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Abstract

We study how the societal disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted diagnosis of a prevalent childhood mental health condition, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Using both nationwide private health insurance claims and a single state’s comprehensive electronic health records, we compare children exposed to the pandemic to same aged children prior to the pandemic. We find the pandemic reduced new ADHD diagnoses by 8.6% among boys and 11.0% among girls nationwide through February 2021. We further show that higher levels of in-person schooling in Fall 2020 dampened the decline for girls but had no moderating effect for boys.

JEL Codes:
  • I10
  • I18
  • I20

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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Societal Disruptions and Childhood ADHD Diagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Seth Freedman, Kelli Marquardt, Dario Salcedo, Kosali Simon, Coady Wing
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2023, 1222-12708R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.1222-12708R2

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Societal Disruptions and Childhood ADHD Diagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Seth Freedman, Kelli Marquardt, Dario Salcedo, Kosali Simon, Coady Wing
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2023, 1222-12708R2; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.1222-12708R2
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Keywords

  • I10
  • I18
  • I20
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