EFFECT OF DEMGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS AND SEASONAL VARIATION ON QUALITY OF LIFE OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICT HYPERACTIVE DISORDER

Abstract

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in the cause and development of ADHD. Vitamin D levels in children with ADHD are lower than in healthy children, and thus may be involved in the pathogenesis of ADHD suggesting a seasonal impact on ADHD as vitamin D levels are known to vary between different seasons. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of ADHD children`s demographic characteristics and seasonal variation on their quality of life. The study recruited 200 children with ADHD and their caregivers. All participants were subjected to personal and medical history, thorough clinical examination, clinical assessment using Conner’s caregiver rating scale, assessment of children quality of life using Peds QL. Caregiver quality of life was assessed using WHOBREF. In the present study, the studied patients comprised 123 males (61.5 %) and 77 females (38.5 %). Most children (78.5 %) in this study ranked first in birth order and 97.0 % had siblings. In our study, there was a significant decrease in patients’ BMI after treatment. Regarding the paternal data, it was found that 96.0 % of caregivers were exposed to environmental tobacco smoke while 87.0 % of mothers received acetaminophen during pregnancy and 79.0 % of them were delivered by cesarean section.