The Association Between ADHD in Adolescence and Injury in Early Adulthood in Israel: A Nationwide Historical Cohort Study

Objective: To examine the association between late adolescence ADHD and the risk of serious injury in early adulthood. Method: A nationwide cohort study utilizing data from the Military Health Examinations Database for potential military recruits (age 16.5–18 years), cross-referenced with the Israeli National Trauma Registry (2008–2020). Individuals with and without ADHD (mild/severe) were compared for early adulthood injury risk using Cox models. Results: This study compared 76,403 participants with mild ADHD (18.76%) and 330,792 without (81.24%), alongside 2,835 severe ADHD participants (1.11%) versus 252,626 without (98.89%). Adjusted hazard ratios for injury-related hospitalization were 1.27 (95% CI 1.17, 1.37) for mild ADHD and 1.40 (95% CI 1.09, 1.79) for severe ADHD, compared to non-ADHD. Conclusions: Adolescents with ADHD, regardless of severity, had a significantly higher risk of hospitalization due to injury that persists into early adulthood, underscoring the importance of recognizing ADHD as an injury risk and incorporating it into injury prevention strategies.