ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. ADHD
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1673400
The Prevalence and Correlates of Falls in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted- 1Department of Community Medicine and Behavioral Science, Kuwait University Faculty of Medicine, Safat, Kuwait
- 2Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Profession, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, United States
- 3Department of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Falls are a major concern due to potentially causing injuries and long-term disabilities. Studies have shown that individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have decreased balance. Poor balance is associated with increased risk of falls. Limited studies have investigated the risk of falls among adults with ADHD despite the increasing prevalence of ADHD world-wide. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of falls and fall-related injuries, as well as to explore correlates of falls among adults with ADHD during off- and on-medication status. Methods: Adults with ADHD were recruited for this cross-sectional analysis. Participants completed two sessions (an off-medication and an on-medication session). A customized questionnaire was used to collect relevant data, including demographic information, psychostimulant medication use, fall history, and fall risk. Further, ADHD symptoms were assessed using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-5. Participants completed body mass (kg) and body height (cm) measure on the first session. Participants also completed several measures of physical function, including maximum voluntary contraction (MVC [N.m]) and passive range of motion (ROM [o]) static balance assessment on a force platform (sway area [cm2] and sway velocity [cm/s]), Timed Up and Go test (TUG[s]) and the Lateral Step-Up Test (LSUT; [repetitions]). Prevalence of falls was estimated using frequency data. Associations of fall factors among adults with ADHD were evaluated using chi-square tests and Spearman’s correlation. Results: Forty-five adults (35 women; mean age = 28.4 ± 6.3 years) were enrolled in the study. The 12-month prevalence of falls among adults with ADHD was 37.8%. Fallers were significantly more likely to feel unsteady (62.5%), and 77.8% expressed worry about falling compared to non-fallers. The higher prevalence of falls observed among adults with the combined subtype of ADHD (46.7%). The SLEC score, PROM, TUG, and PMVC demonstrated insignificant correlation with falling in adults with ADHD during off- and on-medication status (rs = <0.25, p > 0.05); thus, regressions analysis for these potential correlates were not performed. Conclusions: Adults with ADHD exhibited increased fall rates. Biological sex, ADHD subtype, perceived feeling of unsteadiness, and worries about falling were associated with falls in this population.
Keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Psychostimulant medication, falls, adults, Prevalence, Cross-sectional
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 23 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alkhalidi, Lein and Alotaibi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mansour M. Alotaibi, mansour.alotaibi@nbu.edu.sa
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.