Assessment of health-related quality of life of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder attending Sohag University Hospital

Document Type : Original Article

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Public health & Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 5-7% of children and significantly impairs their quality of life (QoL). The aim of the current study was to compare child self-reports and parent-proxy reports of Qol in children with ADHD. Methods: A total 66 children with ADHD, aged 8-12 years, were compared with 132 control children without ADHD, after matching both groups on age and gender. PedsQL™ 4.0 (Pediatric QoL Inventory™) Generic Core Scales (physical, psychological, social, and school functioning) were completed by one parent and children self-reporting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Results: The mean age of children was 9.6±1.8 years for cases and 9.7±1.2 years for control. The majority (75.8%) of children were males. The results showed that children with ADHD reported lower total score of PedsQL™ in comparison to normal children (75.8±10.4 versus 87.2±6.6, p< 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed in psychological health domain and school functioning domain (p< 0.001 for each). The physical functioning and social health did not differ significantly between groups (p= 0.45 and p=0.64, respectively). Parents of children with ADHD also reported lower PedsQL™ scores, with statistically significant differences in all dimensions (p<0.001) except for physical health domain (p=0.20). The parents of children with ADHD reported significantly higher physical but lower psychological health domains (p<0.001) compared to the children’s self-reported mean score. Conclusions: Children with ADHD had lower HRQoL scores compared to their healthy counterparts. The findings underscore the importance of measures to improve HRQoL among these children.

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