Investigation executive functions, self esteem and depression levels in adhd and non adhd groups

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder with inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Children with ADHD often experience cognitive, academic, social and personal difficulties because of executive function deficits. Executive functions which are widely affected in ADHD are; problem solving, abstract reasoning, working memory, the capacity to achieve future goals etc. The prevalence of ADHD is about %5.9 worldwide. Comorbidity is also often seen. The most common comorbid diagnoses are learning disabilities, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders. In this study, the relationship between executive functions, self esteem and depression levels has been investigated. It has been hypothesized that these items should show differences between ADHD and non ADHD groups. For obtaining the measures, Coopersmith self esteem scale, childhood depression scale and WCST have been used. Results showed that the group with ADHD showed poor performance on WCST and poor self esteem and high depression levels than non ADHD group. Additionally there was a significant correlation between self esteem and depression between the groups. These results showed that children with ADHD have executive function deficits and poor self esteem and risk for depression.