Evaluation of interventions for sickness absence in patients with ADHD and autism

Research problem and specific questionsIn Sweden, sickness absence due to mental disorder has increased significantly in recent years.

At the same time, the diagnostic groups attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased multi-fold in both children and adults.

There is an urgent need for effective interventions that can improve health and work ability in adults with ADHD and ASD.The general research question is if the studied interventions improve sickness absence and need for care services.

The specific research questions are:Do commonly used pharmacological and psychological treatments, psychoeducation and skills training programs and social support interventions improve health and work ability and if so, exactly what interventions and to what degree?What patient characteristics and external factors are associated with higher or lower sickness absence and support need in adults with ADHD and/or ASD?Data and methodTo evaluate putative intervention effects on sickness absence and care need, and identify predictive factors, we will perform the sub-studies:A longitudinal patient chart review study that following young adults with ADHD with regard to risk factors for sickness absence.A retrospective and prospective longitudinal patient chart review study of sickness absence in a cohort of adults with a diagnosis of ADHD and/or ASD.

Effects of medical treatment for ADHD and other diagnoses will be evaluated with sickness leave and health care use as outcomes .An intervention study investigating the effectiveness of commonly used interventions on sickness absence and support and care use in adults with ADHD and/or ASD.Societal relevance and utilisationThe increasing societal costs for sickness absence can be reduced if effective interventions are identified.

Health equity can increase when vulnerable groups at risk having unmet treatment needs can be targeted with tailor-made interventions.Plan for project realisationAll collaborators in the project will participate in preparation of ethical approvals, interpretation of results and dissemination to patients, stakeholders and the scientific community.

PI is responsible for study design and scientific quality. PI and co-applicants are responsible also supervise PhD students in the project. PhD students will work with patient interventions, data entry and analysis and paper writing.