RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Societal Disruptions and Childhood ADHD Diagnosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic
JF Journal of Human Resources
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP S187
OP S226
DO 10.3368/jhr.1222-12708R2
VO 59
IS S
A1 Freedman, Seth
A1 Marquardt, Kelli
A1 Salcedo, Dario
A1 Simon, Kosali
A1 Wing, Coady
YR 2024
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/59/S/S187.abstract
AB 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 percent among boys and 11.0 percent 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.