Is the prevalence of ADHD in Turkish elementary school children really high?

Abstract

Our results confirmed a substantially higher ADHD prevalence rate (more than double) than the suggested pooled worldwide prevalence, although similar to the one recently detected in a representative populational sample of children in the US (11 %). These findings, consistent with previous developmental epidemiology studies from Turkey, confirm that ADHD is highly prevalent in Turkish elementary school children.

Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Northern Cyprus

“…31 Although no similar studies have been reported from the TRNC to date, our methodology and results are in close agreement with studies of Turkish children from Turkey, such as the epidemiological study reported by Ercan et al 30 from the İzmir province of Turkey, which used a very similar method-logy and reported a prevalence of 13.6%. Two other epidemiological studies, one by Ercan et al 21 another by Rowland et al 9 reported highly similar results to ours, 12.7% and 12.9% respecttively. In Chilean children aged 4-18 years the prevalence of ADHD was found to be 10.4%.…”

“…We found that the percentage of children meeting ADHD diagnostic criteria was 12.8%. Although this rate is markedly higher than the 5.9% reported by a worldwide meta-analysis of ADHD prevalence, 14 it is within the range that has been reported for ADHD prevalence 9 as well as that of epidemiological studies conducted in Turkey, 21,30 and Chile. 31 Although no similar studies have been reported from the TRNC to date, our methodology and results are in close agreement with studies of Turkish children from Turkey, such as the epidemiological study reported by Ercan et al 30 from the İzmir province of Turkey, which used a very similar method-logy and reported a prevalence of 13.6%.…”

“…A recent metaanalysis 25 pointed out that the most commonly seen subtype of ADHD is the combined type, as was also found in studies from North Carolina, 9 Colombia, 12 Brazil, 38,39 Italy, 8 Majorca, 11 Venezuela, 15 Texas, 13 Saudi Arabia, 10 Lebanon, 40 and Turkey. 21 Conversely, ADHD prevalence studies from Nigeria 41,42 and a prevalence study from Brazil 43 reported that the inattentive type was the most common subtype. The global subtype studies reported that the combined and the inattentive types were the most common, 24,25 while two epidemiological studies from Turkey found that the hyperactive type was the most common.…”

“…20 Methodological factors could vary according to information source (parents, teacher, and children), diagnostic procedures used, and use of impairment criteria. 21 Use of a similar methodology in ADHD epidemiological studies could help eliminate these inconsistencies. 22 It has been reported that ADHD is more common in male children compared with their female counterparts.…”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Psychiatric Comorbidities

“…The prevalence of ADHD in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was reported to be 5% in children and adolescents (8). The prevalence of ADHD in our country was found to be 8.1% in a study conducted in 2004, 12.7% in a study conducted in 2014 and 12.4% in a study conducted in 2018 (6,9,10). The changes in diagnostic criteria and public awareness works have played an important role in increasing the incidence of ADHD in recent years.…”