By Maxine Rickman, Provisional Psychologist

This week, the media has been awash with headlines around a new, longitudinal study published out of Deakin University in Melbourne, assessing the health-related quality of life outcomes of children with symptoms of ADHD (Le et al., 2025). Some of the reporting was misleading, especially around the link between taking ADHD medication and health-related quality of life outcomes.

So what was the study about?

This most recent study followed a group of over 4,000 Australian children from early childhood into their teenage years, (what researchers call a ‘longitudinal’ study) to see how ADHD symptoms related to their wellbeing over time. They measured ‘health-related quality of life’ which simply means how a child’s health affects their day-to-day life, including their ability to do everyday activities, make friends and feel physically and emotionally well.

What were the findings of the study?

The study found that children with ADHD symptoms generally had lower quality of life than their peers. In addition to ADHD symptoms, the study found that several other factors were linked to lower levels of child wellbeing, including, being female, having autistic brainstyle or other medical conditions and having caregivers with mental health challenges. Interestingly, having two or more siblings was a rare protective factor, showing a small boost in quality of life for the children in this study. The study found that those children taking ADHD medications also tended to have more challenges.

The research showed a link between quality of life and ADHD medications but it did not prove that medication caused a lower quality of life. Here are some things to bear in mind:

• The cohort in this study who were taking ADHD medication was extremely small; just 0.4% of the wave 1 cohort, rising to 2.3% by wave 7 – this is a very small subset of the overall >4000 participants. This raises concerns about the generalisability and statistical power related to this conclusion
• The study did not use clinical diagnostic criteria for ADHD, meaning that many of the children in the study were not actually diagnosed with ADHD. Instead, it relied on the Hyperactivity scale of the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire which is a screening tool, NOT a diagnostic tool.
• Of the few children who were on ADHD medication in this study, it is likely that they represent those with more severe or persistent symptoms. The study shows correlations, not cause-and-effect. It does not show that medication causes lower quality of life, but rather that children on medication tended to have more challenges to begin with.

Evidence of Positive Real-World Outcomes from ADHD Medication

A highly relevant and recent study by Coghill et al (2025), examined population-level data from Sweden (2006-2020). They used a self-controlled case series design.  This type of study compares the same person to themselves at different times – for example, looking at periods when they are taking ADHD medication and periods when they are not. Because each child is essentially their own ‘control group’ it helps to rule out differences between people and focuses on changes that happen within the same person over time.

In this study, ADHD medication use was consistently linked with lower rates of self-harm, unintentional injuries, traffic crashes and criminal offending across time. Although the protective effect diminished slightly as prescribing increased, it remained significant, suggesting meaningful real-world benefits even in broader prescribing contexts.

What other evidence is there in support of ADHD medication?

A recent meta-analytic review of 113 randomised controlled trials found that stimulant medications remain the only interventions for ADHD with robust short term efficacy and that they were associated with lower discontinuation rates than non-stimulants (Ostinelli et al., 2025). Broader findings show that medication can improve peer and family relationships, school performance, attention and impulse control, all factors which are important for quality of life.

Taking a balanced and informed approach:

• At Spencer Health, we recommend collaborating with a qualified healthcare professional/clinician for a thorough diagnosis and to set clear treatment goals
• As per the Australian AADPA guidelines, treatment should be multi-modal, including medication and also behavioural interventions, school strategies and family support as necessary
• Symptoms should be monitored regularly, as should quality of life metrics and any possible side effects of medication
• Treatment decisions should always be based on your child’s unique context, not on sensationalised headlines

References

Australasian ADHD Professionals Association. (2022). Australian evidence-based clinical practice guideline for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. AADPA. https://aadpa.com.au/australian-evidence-based-clinical-guideline-for-adhd/

Le, H. N. D., Keily, C., Coghill, D., & Gold, L. (2025). The long-term impact of ADHD on children and adolescents’ health-related quality of life: Results from a longitudinal population-based Australian study. Journal of Attention Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251353366

Li, L., Coghill, D., Sjölander, A., Yao, H., Zhang, L., Kuja-Halkola, R., Brikell, I., Lichtenstein, P., D’Onofrio, B. M., Larsson, H., & Chang, Z. (2025). Increased prescribing of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication and real-world outcomes over time. JAMA Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.1281

Ostinelli, E. G., Schulze, M., Zangani, C., Farhat, L. C., Tomlinson, A., Del Giovane, C., Chamberlain, S. R., Philipsen, A., Young, S., Cowen, P. J., Bilbow, A., Cipriani, A., & Cortese, S. (2025a). Comparative efficacy and acceptability of pharmacological, psychological, and neurostimulatory interventions for ADHD in adults: A systematic review and component network meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry, 12(1), 32–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2215-0366(24)00360-2