Association Between Caregiver Responses to the Six‐Item Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale ( ASRS ‐5) and Caregiver‐Reported Adverse Childhood Experiences in Their Children

Aim To examine associations between caregiver ASRS‐5 summed item scores, caregiver‐reported anger/irritability and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reported for their children. Methods A cross‐sectional, anonymous online survey (February 2022–March 2025). Adults who identified as the caregiver of a child were recruited through posters and QR codes through paediatric inpatient, outpatient, community and developmental services in Western Sydney. Caregiver ASRS‐5 responses were summed (range 0–24); ≥ 14 was defined as a higher ASRS score. Caregivers also completed an ACE checklist. Results Among 162 caregivers (mean age 36.8 years, SD 8.5; 84.2% mothers/maternal figures), 66 (40.7%) had an ASRS‐5 summed item score ≥ 14. An ACE score ≥ 4 was reported for 35% of children of these caregivers versus 17% of the remainder (OR 2.7; p = 0.012). Compared with caregivers ASRS‐5 scoring 0–9, the adjusted odds of child ACE burden ≥ 4 were higher among those scoring 10–19 (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.00–7.10) and ≥ 20 (OR 6.7, 95% CI 1.82–24.67). Each additional ACE was associated with a 0.45‐point higher ASRS‐5 summed item score ( p < 0.001). Anger/irritability was associated with ACE burden ≥ 4 (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.11–4.56), and exploratory stratified analyses showed an association between ASRS‐5 summed item score and ACE score only in the higher anger/irritability stratum ( p = 0.020). Conclusions In this self‐selected sample, higher caregiver ASRS‐5 item sums were associated with greater caregiver‐reported ACE burden in their children. Further research should evaluate whether caregiver ASRS‐5 response patterns and anger/irritability have potential utility in family‐centred support.