Retrospective evaluation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with the Wender Utah Rating Scale in a sample of Spanish prison inmates

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of childhood history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a sample of prison inmates. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study, which consisted of a sample of 100 inmates from penitentiary centers in Madrid. The instruments used were the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), the International Personality Disorder Examination, and a questionnaire of demographic, penitentiary, and toxicological data. For statistical analysis, the SPSS program was used with confidence interval estimation of 95%. The mean score of the WURS was 65.7 points. Fifty percent of the sample surpassed the cut-off point of 32 for the 25 best discriminative items in the Spanish validated version. A significant association was found between a childhood history of ADHD and antisocial and borderline personality disorders. The disorder was also found to be associated with autoaggressive behavior, more probability to be sanctioned in prison, and have a history of substance dependence.