Parental age and developmental milestones: pilot study indicated a role in understanding ADHD severity in Indian probands

BACKGROUND: In different ethnic groups, birth related factors have shown significant influence in the etiology of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Based on these interesting findings, we aimed to investigate association between different pre- and post natal variables and ADHD associated traits in Indian subjects. METHODS: ADHD Probands recruited based on the DSM-IV, were assessed by the Conner’s Parent Rating Scale for behavioral problem (BPr), inattention (IA), hyperactivity (HA) and ADHD index (AI). Impulsivity (Imp) was assessed by the Tsukuyama scale. RESULTS: Higher paternal (Std β = 0.23) and lower maternal (Std β = 0.21) age showed significant association with Imp of the probands. Higher paternal age also revealed association with BPr (Std β = 0.18). Age of onset was distinctly associated with AI (Std β < 0.16) while developmental delay was negatively correlated with BPr, Imp, IA and birth weight (r < − 0.13); also confirmed by Posthoc-ANOVA (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We infer that parental age, developmental delay and birth related variables may have a cumulative effect on ADHD symptom severity. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-019-1483-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.