ADHD prevalence in patients with hypersexuality and paraphilic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hypersexuality and paraphilic disorders have been associated with increased ADHD in several studies. To determine the prevalence of ADHD in hypersexuality and paraphilic disorders. Three databases (Medline, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were explored. Using random effects models, we calculated the pooled estimate of ADHD prevalence. The leave-1-out method and subgroup analyses were carried out to identify sources of heterogeneity. Seven studies from three countries ( N = 730 patients with hypersexuality) were included (including five US studies). The overall estimate of the prevalence of ADHD in patients with hypersexuality or paraphilic disorders was 22.6% (95% interval: 17–29.4) with high heterogeneity ( I 2 = 63%). No publication bias was observed according to Egger's test. We found no significant difference in ADHD prevalence between the following subgroups: hypersexuality vs. paraphilic disorders, studies exploring the history of childhood ADHD vs. adult ADHD, US studies vs. others. The French study was a source of heterogeneity with a much lower rate than others (4.5%) but did not significantly change the prevalence estimate. Removing this study increases the prevalence to 25%. We found no association between the year of publication and ADHD prevalence. ADHD is much more frequent in populations with hypersexuality or paraphilic disorders compared to the general population. It should be systematically screened. The subgroup analyses were not sufficient to identify all sources of heterogeneity, other sources should be explored in further studies.