OBJECTIVE:

To assess employer economic burden of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for employees with ADHD and employee caregivers of children with ADHD.

METHODS:

A large multi-employer database was used to compare: 1) employees diagnosed with ADHD versus employees without ADHD and 2) employee caregivers of children with ADHD versus employee caregivers of children without ADHD. Regression modeling compared many employer-relevant outcomes.

RESULTS:

The study found significantly higher annual health benefit costs ($6885 versus $4242), absence days (8.86 versus 7.16), and turnover (8.99% versus 5.26%) for employees with ADHD (n = 539) versus employees without ADHD (n = 93,722), respectively (all P < 0.01). Similar results were found for employee caregivers of children with ADHD.

CONCLUSIONS:

Employees with ADHD and those caring for children with ADHD are associated with a significantly higher burden in employer-relevant outcomes such as health benefit costs, absences, and terminations.