Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder among U.S. children. ADHD diagnoses have risen among children with both severe and mild behavioral problems, partly in response to mounting academic pressure. This study examines the consequences of ADHD diagnosis. Diagnosis can bring beneficial pharmacological treatment and social supports, but it can also trigger negative social and psychological processes, as suggested by labeling theory. For children with mild behavioral problems, diagnosis may trigger awareness of being ‘‘different’’ for the first time, for example through negative teacher/peer effects. By matching diagnosed and otherwise comparable undiagnosed children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort of 1998–1999, I find that medication has positive effects for diagnosed children with severe prediagnosis behavioral problems, yielding comparable future teacher-rated school behaviors as undiagnosed matches. However, diagnosed and medicated children with mild prediagnosis behavioral problems exhibit poorer future teacher-rated social and academic behaviors than their undiagnosed matches, consistent with labeling theory.

注意缺陷/多动障碍（ADHD）是美国儿童中最常见的行为障碍。患有严重和轻度行为问题的儿童中多动症的诊断有所增加，部分是由于学业压力不断增加所致。这项研究检查了多动症诊断的后果。诊断可以带来有益的药理治疗和社会支持，但也可以引发负面的社会和心理过程，如标签理论所建议。对于有轻度行为问题的儿童，诊断可能会首次引起人们“与众不同”的意识，例如通过负面的老师/同伴效应。通过匹配1998-1999年儿童早期纵向研究-幼儿园队列中的已诊断和其他可比较的未诊断儿童，我发现药物对患有严重的预诊断行为问题的经诊断的儿童具有积极作用，可产生与未诊断的匹配结果类似的未来教师评价的学校行为。然而，与标签理论相一致，患有轻度预诊断行为问题的经诊断和服药的儿童与未诊断出的匹配项相比，未来教师评价的社会和学术行为表现较差。