Comorbidity of ADHD and Conduct Disorder in Korean Adolescent Criminals, Using T.O.V.A.

Abstract

Objective : Using Test Of Variability of Attention (T.O.V.A.), the present study investigated the comorbidity between conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Korean adolescent criminals who attended a district reformatory school. Method : T.O.V.A. was administered to 46 male Korean adolescent criminals attending a district reformatory school and 24 age matched normal male controls. Results : Two-sample t-test revealed that the omission (t(1,67)=2.87, p<.01) and the commission scores (t(1,65)=2.10, p<.05) were significantly different between the two groups, but the response time and variability were not significantly different. The average T scores of omission and commission in the conduct disorder group were 55.12 and 52.36, respectively, which were lower than the cut-off value for ADHD(over 65). However, the distribution of T score showed a significant difference between the two groups. Eleven subjects (23.9%) in the conduct disorder group had the T scores over 65 of either omission or commission, in contrast to the controls among whom none had scores over 65 χ²2(1 )=10.279, P<.001). Conclusions : This study suggests that the subjects with conduct disorder have more inattention and impulsivity compared to the normal control subjects, and that conduct disorder is related to ADHD. T.O.V.A. can be used as a screening tool for ADHD in adolescent criminals with conduct disorder.