ADHD: Quality of Life for Children and Their Families

 

Quality of life and family has
impact on children with ADHD
treated in different settings;
© panthermedia.net/Scott Griessel

The greater the severity of a child's Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, the more negative impacts on the child's health-related quality of life from the perspective of the child and the parent, a new study by a Baylor University psychologist has found.

Researchers compared children with ADHD in different types of treatment settings and found that children with ADHD being treated by a general pediatrician have better overall health-related quality of life and family functioning than children with ADHD being treated in a psychiatric clinic.

"These findings have potential implications for the health care needs of children with ADHD," said Christine Limbers, professor at Baylor University. "The finding that overall agreement between children and parent ratings of the child's quality of life was low underscores the importance of evaluating both children's and parents' perspectives regarding quality of life in routine assessment in clinical practice and clinical trials for children with ADHD since their different perspectives potentially provide unique information."

The researchers surveyed nearly 200 families and evaluated health-related quality of life and family functioning, such as physical, emotional, social and family relationships, from both the perspective of children with physician-diagnosed ADHD and their parents. Researchers then compared those results to a sample of healthy children and to children with ADHD being seen in a psychiatric clinic.

The study showed that while children with ADHD treated by a general pediatrician have better overall health-related quality of life than children being seen in a psychiatric clinic, they still experience significant impairments in health-related quality of life compared to healthy children, particularly in psychosocial functioning, which encompasses a wide range of behaviors related to social and emotional well being.

The researchers said that parental worry and family relationships, such as lack of communication between family members and conflicts between family members, and daily family activities, such as family activities taking more time and effort and difficulty finding time to finish household tasks, are key areas to address in a family intervention.

ADHD is one of the most prevalent chronic disorders in childhood and is characterized by impulsivity, a developmentally inappropriate activity level, low frustration tolerance, poor organisation of behavior, distractibility, and an inability to sustain attention and concentration.

REHACARE.de; Source: Baylor University