Interestingly, while conduct problems were significantly associated with alcohol problems, there was no significant relationship between alcohol use symptomatology and both dimensions of ADHD (hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention) in this adolescent female sample. This finding is not without precedent and is entirely consistent with earlier work by Moss and Lynch (2001) who examined the relationships between conduct disorder, ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder on subsequent alcohol use disorder. They found that, while male adolescents demonstrated direct effects of CD and ADHD on alcohol use disorder, female adolescent data only indicated a robust direct effect of CD on alcohol use disorder. Thus, findings stress the importance of considering gender effects, an issue that many studies in this area have been underpowered to detect (e.g., Molina et al., 2007).
