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A Network Analysis of ADHD and ASD Symptoms in Chinese Children: Insights on Age and Gender Differences

Jie Luo1, Wen Shao2, Yuanzhen Wu1

  • 1The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
|November 19, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Inattentive symptoms are key links between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Chinese children. These findings highlight the importance of addressing attentional difficulties for both conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Network Analysis in Mental Health

Background:

  • Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently co-occur.
  • Understanding the transdiagnostic symptom overlap is crucial for effective intervention.
  • Previous research has not fully elucidated the network structure of combined ADHD and ASD symptoms in diverse populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the transdiagnostic interactions between ADHD and ASD symptoms in Chinese children.
  • To identify core and bridging symptoms within a combined ADHD-ASD symptom network.
  • To examine how symptom network structures differ across gender and age subgroups.

Main Methods:

  • Symptom network analysis of data from 71,217 Chinese children using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
  • Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) for community detection and Glasso for network estimation.
  • Network Comparison Tests (NCT) to assess subgroup differences.

Main Results:

  • Inattentive symptoms (e.g., 'Cannot concentrate') were identified as central bridging nodes between ADHD and ASD.
  • Three distinct symptom communities emerged: inattentive/internalizing, hyperactive/impulsive, and social withdrawal/low energy.
  • Females showed significantly higher network connectivity than males; older children exhibited greater symptom overlap.

Conclusions:

  • Attentional difficulties are pivotal in the psychopathology linking ADHD and ASD.
  • Findings suggest tailored screening for Chinese children considering gender and cultural context.
  • Results can inform school mental health support and policy development.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDASDChinese childrencomorbiditygender differencessymptom network analysis

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