Sibling Niches and the Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been controversial. The current investigation was conducted to determine the extent to which ADHD diagnosis might reflect family constellation patterns and sibling niche adoption. While not ruling out important neurological factors, results did reveal a significant pattern of difference between siblings holding different positions in their family constellations. Most notable was the 1 in 4 probability of ADHD diagnosis for younger brothers with sisters in a two-sibling family. The results suggest that casual diagnosis of this condition, which fails to consider family constellation parameters, may lead to inappropriate and less-than-optimal treatments.