Research has produced conflicting findings on whether ADHD is associated with financial debt. Moreover, as yet, there has been little research on this association in non-Western settings. To address this deficit, this cross-sectional study examined the association between ADHD symptoms and debt in the Japanese general population. Data were used from an online sample of 3,717 adults aged ≥ 18 years old. A single-item question was used to assess debt. ADHD symptoms were measured with the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener. Information was also collected on demographic characteristics and mental health. In a fully adjusted logistic regression analysis, ADHD symptoms (as a continuous score) were significantly associated with debt in the total sample (OR: 1.04, 95%CI: 1.01–1.07). In sex-stratified analyses, ADHD symptoms were associated with debt in women (OR: 1.06, 95%CI: 1.01–1.10), while the association was of borderline statistical significance in men (OR: 1.04, 95%CI: 1.00-1.07, p = .053). When the analysis was stratified by age, ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with debt in adults aged 18 to 34 (OR: 1.10, 95%CI: 1.04–1.16) and 60 and above (OR: 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02–1.16) but not in those aged 35 to 59 (OR: 1.01, 95%CI: 0.97–1.05). ADHD symptoms are associated with debt in Japanese adults. More research is needed to determine the causes and consequences of debt in adults with ADHD.
Stickley et al. (2026) studied this question.