The Pittsburgh ADHD
Longitudinal Study (PALS) is one of the largest long-term
studies ever conducted in which children
diagnosed with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are followed
through adolescence and young adulthood. The
lead investigators
are Dr. Brooke Molina, University of Pittsburgh, and Dr. William
Pelham, State University of New York at
Buffalo.
The study has been
following 364 youth and young adults diagnosed with ADHD in
childhood who received treatment through
the Children’s Summer
Day Treatment Program conducted by the ADHD Program at Western
Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
(WPIC) in Pittsburgh. An
additional 240 individuals were recruited participate who do
not have a history of ADHD. Together,
these 604
participants and their parents are interviewed annually to track
their development as they mature into and through
adulthood.
The purpose of the study is
to learn more about the development of these individuals, and to
answer major questions in the field
about the outcomes of
children diagnosed with ADHD. Some of the areas we are
interested in include school or work functioning,
social and
family relations, drug and alcohol use, and the extent to which
childhood problems may or may not have persisted into
adolescence and young adulthood. A unique feature of the study
is the ability to answer questions about healthy functioning in
adulthood as a function of childhood characteristics, such as
severity of problems in childhood or treatment history.
For more information about
the PALS Study, please contact Study Coordinator, Tracey Wilson
at (412) 246-5673
or by email wilsontk@upmc.edu.
Return to Studies of the Youth and Family Research
Program
