A Descriptive Study to assess the Prevalence of ADHD and its’ Co-morbidity among School Children: https://doi.org/10.54037/WJPS.2021.91001

Sadhu Kishore G; Premkumar J; Premalatha Paulsamy; Shadia Hamoud Alshahrani; Sanaa Mohamed; Krishnaraju Venkatesan; Pranave Sethuraj; Kumar Venkatesan

Authors

Sadhu Kishore G Associate Professor, Vee Care College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Premkumar J Assistant Professor, Vee Care College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Premalatha Paulsamy College of Nursing, Mahalah Branch for Girls, King Khalid University, Asir Province, Saudi Arabia
Shadia Hamoud Alshahrani College of Nursing, Mahalah Branch for Girls, King Khalid University, Asir Province, Saudi Arabia
Sanaa Mohamed College of Nursing, Mahalah Branch for Girls, King Khalid University, Asir Province, Saudi Arabia
Krishnaraju Venkatesan Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Asir Province, Saudi Arabia.
Pranave Sethuraj Software Engineer, Vee Care College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Kumar Venkatesan Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Asir Province, Saudi Arabia.

Keywords:

Prevalence, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Co-Morbidity, children, ADHD Rating Scale, Vanderbilt Assessment Scale

Abstract

ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a common neuro-developmental disease that begins in childhood. It is a clinically heterogeneous illness with co-morbidity, making diagnosis and management of these children and adolescents difficult. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of ADHD and its co-morbidity among children in selected schools in Tamilnadu, India. Initially, 500 children aged 6-12 years, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected from 4 schools of Chennai, Tamilnadu through non – probability convenient sampling technique. The parents were interviewed, for any symptoms of ADHD by ADHD Rating Scale. Vanderbilt Assessment scale is a validated, parent-completed questionnaire that obtains information needed for diagnosis from a parent about core symptoms of ADHD and areas of functional impairment, which was used to assess the prevalence and co-morbidities of ADHD. The overall prevalence of ADHD was 7.8% with male children had slightly more (5.4%) compared to females (2.4%). There were no co-morbidities found in the ADHD children and no significant association between the prevalence and demographic characteristics of the children. This study concludes that it is essential to facilitate measures for early identification and management of ADHD among children to prevent the consequences of ADHD in their adulthood.