How ADHD Is Passed on From Parents to Children

 ADHD in the News 2023-03-16


KEY POINTS: Genetic transmission vs. genetic nurture may explain links between parental characteristics and their children’s ADHD traits. Based on data from 19,500 Norwegian families, there is evidence of genetic transmission but little evidence of genetic nurture. Parents’ own ADHD, education, cognitive abilities, and smoking may be linked to children’s ADHD traits due to the genes they share. Genetic nurture may partly explain the association between mothers’ neuroticism and children’s ADHD traits.