Gender identity and its impact on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder manifestations: Challenges in diagnosis and assessment.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) turns into a common neuro progressional disorder. Although gender identity has obtained increasing attention in ADHD researches, its role in ADHD presentation and treatment response remains underexplored. Our review seeks to mainly delve into the effect of gender identity on ADHD, exploring the unique needs of individuals with various gender identities in the context of ADHD symptoms, diagnostic assessment, and treatment, with the goal of supplying theoretical support and practical recommendations for future research and clinical practice. The primary content includes, specifically: (1) Symptom expression differences: Gender identity significantly affects ADHD symptoms; male-identified individuals commonly perform worse in task orientation and attention stability, while female-identified individuals may demonstrate more variability in attention control and executive functions; (2) Diagnosis and treatment: Clinical practice generally neglects the impact of gender identity on ADHD management, with personalized needs of gender-identified individuals frequently not adequately addressed, potentially, affecting treatment outcomes; and (3) Future research directions: Future studies should further assess how gender identity affects the specific mechanisms of ADHD, conduct researches in multicultural contexts, and engage in long-term follow-up studies to evaluate the long-term impact of gender identity on ADHD progression. Besides, enhanced funding and public education on the relationship between gender identity and ADHD are needed to advance the field.