Abstract
Objective:
Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is an important chronic neuro-psychiatric condition in terms of its prevalance which is reported to be approximately 5% worldwide and its impact on quality of life for patients and their families. Using Quality of life as a tool for assessing treatment outcomes in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has been increasingly important. The aim of this review was to discuss the impact of ADHD on quality of life for children and adolescents that were diagnosed with the disorder.
Method:
All research studies associated with quality of life for children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD that were published between the dates 1997-2013 were searched in Pubmed, Medline, PsycINFO and Turkish databases.
Results:
Regarding self reports and parent reports altogether, emotional, social and academic functioning that are the main components of quality of life and also “psychosocial health” which is the eventual outcome of all the abovementioned, were found to be greatly impaired in ADHD. Parent reports about their children’s quality of life were found to be lower than what their children had reported for themselves.
Discussion:
Introducing quality of life as another assessment scale to be used during diagnostic and treatment processes of ADHD might contribute to a better evaluation of diffi culty domains for the children and adolescents affected with the disorder. This type of a bio-psycho-social approach might further improve our treatment strategies .
Keywords: Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Quality of Life, Psychosocial Health
