The quality of life in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

The evaluation of quality of life is of great importance since the children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have to cope with a chronic illness that poses difficulty in every aspect of their lives. It contribute to identify and treat ADHD at an early stage, which can cause significant harm to the child's school success, social life and future education process, and by extension, to quality of life. This paper aims to determine the quality of life in 75 children with ADHD between the ages of 8-12. The study was conducted with 75 children aged between 8-12 years who applied to Corum Guidance and Research Center due to ADHD. The children were given an "descriptive questionnaire form" and "The Quality Of Life Scale in Children of The Age Group of 8-12 Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD-QOLS)". The statistical analysis of the study was evaluated with SPSS 22. The mean age of the children participating in the study was 10.48±1.25. 70.7% were male. AD/HD-QOLS scores of children in the study were: 48.14±17.67 in school and 46.72±18.68 at home, and the difference between them was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean scores of cognitive sub-scale of the children were 52.7±5.01 in school and 51.4±5.26 at home; their social subscale mean scores 51.7±7.05 in school and 51.3 ± 6.90 at home, and their emotional subscale mean scores 51.9±7.91 in school and 50.8±7.67 at home. It was determined that the differences between the mean scores of the cognitive, social and emotional subscales at school and at home were not statistically significant (p>0.05). The study was observed that 44.0% of children with ADHD perceived their quality of life at a moderate level. As a result, children with ADHD have a moderate quality of life at school and at home. In this context, pediatric nurses have a key role in the continuity of the support given to them by identifying children with ADHD at earlier stages. In order to be able to diagnose and guide children with ADHD, they should organize trainings in schools, conduct screening and provide counseling for the child, his/her family, teacher and his/her social environment. Key Words: Child, Attention deficit, Nurse, Hyperactivity, Quality of life