Quality of Life of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyper Activity Disorder
Kraison Pongwilairat, MD*, Orawan Louthrenoo, MD*, Chawanun Charnsil, MD**, Chatree Witoonchart, MD***
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai ** Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai *** Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University
Objective : Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has an impact on children and families. The
purpose of this study was to assess the health-related quality of life between school-age children with ADHD
compared with those without physical or mental disorders.
Materials and Methods : Self- and parent-reports describing the quality of life, covering 4 domains: physical,
emotional, social, and school functioning, were obtained from 46 children with ADHD and 94 control
children. At the time of the study, 17 of 46 children reported receiving medication for ADHD.
Results : After controlling for age and demographic background, both children with ADHD and their parents
reported having a significantly lower quality of life score than controls and their parents. Children with
ADHD also reported themselves to have a significantly low physical score, despite their physically healthy
status.
Conclusion : Children with ADHD had impairment of their quality of life in the physical and psychosocial
domains. Improvement of health-related quality of life should be integrated in the overall planning of the
treatment goals.
Keywords : Quality of life, ADHD
