Investigation of effects of attention deficit and hyperacitivity disorder subtypes on family functions

Abstract

Investigation of effects of attention deficit and hyperacitivity disorder subtypes on family functions Objective: Attention deficiency and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that seriously affects both the individual and his/her family. The aim of this study is to evaluate family functions of individuals with different subtypes of ADHD who had no significant cognitive and social impairments. Methods: 27 subjects with ADHD-inattentive (ADHD-I) subtype, 18 ADHD-hyperactivity-impulsivity (ADHD-HI) subtype, 32 ADHD-combined (ADHD-C) subtype and 35 control subjects aged 6 to 10 years and their mothers were included in the study. Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children, Conners Parent And Teacher Rating Scales and Family Assessment Scale (FAS) were used. Results: When the subtests of FAS were evaluated; problem solving scores of ADHD-HI subgroup, communication scores of ADHD-I subgroup, roles scores of ADHD-C subgroup, "showing necessary interest" scores of ADHD-I and ADHD-HI subgroups, and general functioning scores of ADHD-HI subgroups were higher than the other subgroups. ANOVA results of FAS indicated that except the behavior control subtest, there were significant differences for different subtests for all subgroups. Discussion: When assessing the effects of ADHD treatments, not only the child, but also the family and family dynamics should be evaluated. Therefore, the abilities for a better adaptation to social life -such as problem solving, social evaluation and emotional reactions of the individuals with ADHD- will be increased.