Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and fluctuating asymmetry in another college sample.

J C Stevenson; P M Everson; D C Williams; G Hipskind; E R Mahoney; M Mehler; M Cawley; W Chamberlin; L Watts

doi:10.1002/ajhb.20507

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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and fluctuating asymmetry in another college sample.

J C Stevenson·P M Everson·D C Williams·G Hipskind·E R Mahoney·M Mehler·M Cawley·W Chamberlin·L Watts

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Abstract

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) represents a developmental lag that may be reflected in fluctuating asymmetry (FA), i.e., differences from perfect symmetry in traits that display bilateral symmetry. Burton et al. (2003 Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:601-619) found a statistical trend for FA to increase (as dermatoglyphic index or as total index) as the behavioral measure for AD/HDness (Rasch logit values derived from the Wender Utah Rating Scale, or WURS) increased in males but not in females. The objective here was to do a similar study in an independently collected sample of college students (n = 222; 61 male, 161 female) not selected for AD/HD, looking at FA vs. symptoms for AD/HD based on Rasch versions of responses to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) (Barkley and Murphy 1998 Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, New York: Guilford Press, p. 95-96) and the more comparable shortened WURS. FAs were lowest for body and ear height, and highest for eye width and nose width, and ranged from 0.01 +/- 0.001 (mean +/- SE) for foot and ankle widths to 0.13 +/- 0.01 in eye and nose widths for both sexes; the sexes did not differ significantly. Males displayed higher AD/HD symptom rates overall. There was a significant correlation between body FA and the WURS measure in females after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.002, r(2) = 0.058). Thus, AD/HD symptoms levels increased with an increase in body FA in female college students not selected for AD/HD.

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Adolescent Adult Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity Dermatoglyphics Face Female Functional Laterality Humans Male Middle Aged Students United States Universities Comparative Study Journal Article

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J C Stevenson, P M Everson, D C Williams, G Hipskind, E R Mahoney, M Mehler, M Cawley, W Chamberlin, L Watts. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and fluctuating asymmetry in another college sample.. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.20507

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