Frequency of screen addiction in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, determination of digital parenting awareness and related factors

Introduction and Objective: Children with ADHD have problems with impulse control, time management, organizing tasks, and setting priorities. These children have more difficulty limiting and controlling their own media use and tend to spend more time playing video games compared to healthy children. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of problematic media use in children with ADHD with healthy controls and to examine the factors associated with problematic media use in ADHD cases (ADHD severity, parental attitudes toward digital media, emotional and behavioral problems). Method: The study included 95 patients with ADHD and 90 healthy controls with no known psychiatric disorder. The K-SADS-PL-DSM-5 (Kiddie and Young Adult Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version) was used for ADHD diagnosis, and the Young Internet Addiction Test, Problematic Media Use Scale, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Conners Parent Rating Scale, and Digital Parenting Awareness Scale were used for all parents. Results: Problematic Internet use scores were found to be higher in the ADHD group than in the control group (p=0.001). ADHD severity, somatic complaints, and digital neglect and negative modeling from the digital parental awareness subscales predicted problematic media use in the ADHD group. (p < 0.001, β = 0,259, R2= %53.4). Conclusion: Our study found that ADHD increases the risk of problematic media use and that parental attitudes and behaviors toward digital media are important factors contributing to screen addiction in children. KEYWORDS: ADHD, Internet Addiction, Parental Awareness of Digital Media, Somatic Complaints, Emotional and Behavioral Problems