Cognitive Functions, Self-Esteem and Self-Concept of Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

The study aimed to compare the performance of children with ADHD and children without learning and/or attention diffi culties in tasks of visual attention, executive functions, self-esteem and self--concept. Participants were34 children, 17 with ADHD and 17in the control group, with a mean age of 9.92 years. For the evaluation, the following tests were used: Cancellation Test, Trail Making Test, Stroop Color Word Test, Tower of London, Children's Depression Inventory, Self-Esteem Multidimensional Scale, and Children's Self-Concept Scale. The results indicated that children with ADHD showed worse out comes in attention and executive functions evaluations, in the belief of doing things the wrong way, in feelings of guilt and in low self-esteem, both in the general result as well as in self-perception. Keywords: Attention defi cit and hyperactivity disorder, cognition, self-esteem, self-concept, children. Attention Defi cit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder of early onset, characterized by psychomotor restlessness, sustained attention diffi culty and cognitive and social impulsivity. The main characteristics of ADHD are diffi culties in maintaining attention on tasks that require concentration, completing tasks and remaining seated, low performance on assessments, disorganized material and work, constant speech, conversations and/or noises at inappropriate times, low performance in attentional and executive functions tasks (Barkley, 2008; Resumo

The Contribution of Therapeutic Horseback Riding to the Improvement of Executive Functions and Self-Esteem Among Children With ADHD

“…When children with ADHD face difficulties in emotional and behavioral regulation and EFs, they tend to expe-rience negative reactions from their surroundings. Thus, emerges a self-sustaining cycle of negative interactions that harm self-esteem and result in further difficulty meeting environmental demands (Capelatto et al, 2014). The evidence for a link between ADHD and self-esteem is inconsistent.…”

O Uso de Escalas Psicológicas para Avaliar Autoestima

“…O outro estudo utilizou a Escala Multidimensional de Autoestima criada por Coopersmith (1967Coopersmith ( , 1989, e refere apenas que foi realizada uma tradução da escala original com 58 itens, incluindo aqueles de desejabilidade social (Gobitta & Guzzo, 2002). A data da coleta de dados e a escassez de informações psicométricas sobre a versão realizada desfavorecem a escolha pelo instrumento referido (Capelatto, Lima, Ciasca, & Salgado-Azoni, 2014).…”

Entre a fronteira do aprender e o fracasso escolar no Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção e Hiperatividade

“…Tonelotto e Gonçalves ( 2002) mostraram que as crianças com problemas de atenção, quando comparadas ao grupo sem os mesmos problemas, apresentavam percepção mais negativa de seu desempenho no contexto da sala de aula, percebiam os professores como menos simpáticos para com elas e eram mais citadas por seus colegas como rejeitadas e, na mesma proporção, menos citadas quando a questão era a aceitação. Da mesma forma, o estudo realizado por Capelatto et al (2014) identificou que as crianças com TDAH se sentem mais culpadas, acreditam que fazem coisas mais erradas e apresentam autoestima negativa. Para os autores, as dificuldades nas funções de atenção e executivas afetam negativamente as performances nos trabalhos da escola e tarefas diárias, que por sua vez, podem impactar o desenvolvimento da autoestima e causar mais sentimento de culpa.…”