Measuring Quality of Life in Children with ADHD
Author Information
Author(s): James W. Varni, Tasha M. Burwinkle
Primary Institution: Texas A&M University
Hypothesis
Children with ADHD will self-report significantly lower psychosocial health than healthy children, while self-reporting only slightly lower physical health.
Conclusion
Population health monitoring may identify children with ADHD at risk for adverse health-related quality of life.
Supporting Evidence
- The PedsQL™ 4.0 showed excellent reliability for child self-report and parent proxy-report.
- Children with ADHD reported psychosocial functioning comparable to children with newly-diagnosed cancer.
- Children with ADHD had significantly lower scores in psychosocial health compared to healthy children.
Takeaway
This study shows that kids with ADHD feel much worse about their social and emotional health compared to kids without ADHD.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from a statewide mail survey using the PedsQL™ 4.0 to assess health-related quality of life in children with ADHD.
Potential Biases
Potential bias exists due to reliance on parent reports for children's health conditions.
Limitations
The study relied on self-reports and parent proxy-reports, which may introduce bias.
Participant Demographics
The ADHD sample included 60 boys (83.3%) and 12 girls (16.7%) aged 5 to 16 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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