Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is among the most common reasons for referral to children's educational intervention, with an estimated prevalence of 3% to 5% in the general population of school-age children. Children who exhibit the r...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is among the most common reasons for referral to children's educational intervention, with an estimated prevalence of 3% to 5% in the general population of school-age children. Children who exhibit the requisite behaviors may obtain a diagnosis of ADHD at any age; however, symptom onset must occur before age 7 and persist for at least 6 months. Despite these temporal requirements for diagnosis and early intervention program, little empirical information about the manifestation and stability of ADHD symptoms in preschool children exists. Planning effective early intervention program and other related services requires family-oriented assessment based on family functioning. Two key dimensions of family functioning are cohesion and adaptability.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of preschool children with ADHD and the characteristics of their family functioning (cohesion and adaptability). For prevalence, 2,267 preschool children were sampled from K city in Korea and rated by the mother and the teacher using Conners Abbreviated Rating Scale, ADHD Rating Scale, Home Environment Questionnaire, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES III). The data analysis included comparisons of perceived family functioning as revealed by mothers of preschoolers with ADHD and ones without ADHD using ANOVA.
The results of this study were as follows:
First, the prevalence of ADHD in preschool-aged children in K city of Korea indicated 3.40% (41.6% were rated as combined subtype, 27.3% inattentive subtype, and 31.1% hyperactive-impulsive subtype.
Third, the mothers of preschoolers with ADHD showed low level of perception of family functioning, comparing with ones without ADHD.
socio-demographic variables(the mothers' educational background, their religion, and income level).