Worse Quality of Life for Children With Newly Diagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Compared With Asthmatic and Healthy Children

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Objective. To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of untreated children with newly diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), compared with asthmatic and healthy children.Methods. This prospective, case-control study included a group of 120 children, 6 to 12 years of age, with newly diagnosed ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Subjects were matched according to age, gender, and health care area with 2 control groups, ie, 93 asthmatic children and 120 healthy children. Sociodemographic characteristics and Child Health Questionnaire scores were collected.Results. The QOL of children with ADHD was rated worse than that of asthmatic or healthy children for most Child Health Questionnaire domains. The greatest differences were found in behavior, social limitations attributable to physical problems, emotional impact on parents, and family activities. Almost every psychosocial domain was more affected in comparison with asthmatic children and both psychosocial and physical domains in comparison with healthy children.Conclusions. ADHD interferes with the daily lives of children, parents, and families even more than asthma, primarily in areas related to psychosocial functioning, although evidence of impaired physical functioning also emerged. Delays in recognition, assessment, and management of ADHD may affect negatively the QOL of those children. ABBREVIATIONS. ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; CHQ, Child Health Questionnaire; CI, confidence interval; HRQOL, health-related quality of life; QOL, quality of life.A ttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood-onset neurobehavioral disorder, and one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions affecting schoolaged children. The prevalence of this disorder among school-aged children is estimated to be between 3% and 12%. 1,2 The disorder is associated frequently with the development of comorbid psychiatric disorders, most commonly oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder. 3,4 In addition to social and academic impairment, important reductions in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have been reported for children with attention and hyperactivity problems. 5,6 HRQOL measures parents' perception of the child's well-being, in terms of physical, mental, and social domains. The concept adopts a patient-centered approach and uses parents' assessments of their child's condition rather than assessments by clinicians or evaluations based on biomedical parameters. 7 This approach focuses on the broader functioning of children and the extent to which parents perceive that disorders interfere with the daily life of children and their families. 8 ADHD is associated with broad impairment in many HRQOL parameters, including academic performance, behavior in school, peer relations, and family functioning. However, the effect of the disorder on everyday functioning and well-being remains largely unexplored in clinical practice. 9 We are aware of 6 st...

Study design, baseline patient characteristics and intervention in a cross-cultural framework: results from the ADORE study

“…A recently reported prospective case-control study conducted in Spain found that untreated children with newly diagnosed ADHD had a worse quality of life than healthy children or children with newly diagnosed asthma [10]. Not surprisingly, the quality of life among children with ADHD worsened as the severity of ADHD symptoms increased and with the presence of co-morbid psychiatric disorders [21].…”

Uma análise do desenvolvimento motor de crianças com transtorno do déficit de atenção e hiperatividade (TDAH)

“…Estes comportamentos podem manifestar-se ao longo dos primeiros anos de vida, denominado tríade sintomatológica, destacando-se a desatenção, hiperatividade e impulsividade. Tais características, segundo Escobar et al (2005) causam problemas no seu desenvolvimento em vários domínios relativos a integração social, a noção de tempo, a aquisição da linguagem e também ao desenvolvimento motor.…”

Societal costs and quality of life of children suffering from attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

“…The symptoms of ADHD may interfere with a person's ability to conduct normal daily activities. ADHD is associated with broad impairment in many Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) parameters, including academic performance, behaviour at school, peer relations and family function [5]. Studies have indicated that, compared to their peers without ADHD, young people with ADHD also exhibit higher levels of comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders as oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety disorder and depression, and with somatic conditions as asthma [2].…”

“…Escobar et al showed that ADHD interferes to an even greater extent than asthma with the daily lives of children, parents and families, primarily in areas related to psychosocial functioning [5].…”