Do attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms exist among Brazilian indigenous children?

Abstract

The validity of the clinical constructs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been generalized for all human populations of different cultures worldwide. Yet important population groups have yet to be adequately studied so as to definitively confirm this generalization. Objective: To investigate the presence of symptoms of ADHD in children living within an indigenous community. Methods: We performed interviews in a bid to screen for symptoms of ADHD among settlement-dwelling indigenous children of the Karajá ethnic group in the Brazilian Amazonian Region. Results: Three narratives are presented highlighting the classical symptomatological triad of ADHD: inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Conclusions: Some of ADHD's major characteristics, described in the most common disease classification worldwide, are clearly described by children of this population. We concluded that ADHD symptoms are present in this population which diverges greatly in cultural issues compared to the Western world.