A Comparison of Frontal Lobe Function Between Students with Attention- Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Normal Students

Abstract

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is among disorders that has attracted the attention of many psychologists, psychiatrists, and researchers. The results of different researches have showed that the frontal lobe plays an important role in the incidence of this disorder and its continuity; therefore, the aim of the present research was to compare between frontal lobe function of students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal students. Methods: This research was descriptive and causal-comparative. The research population included all third-grade high school male normal students and those with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in Ardabil city (2015), from which 60 students (including 30 normal students and 30 students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) were selected through multi-step cluster sampling. For data collection, Conner’s adult ADHD Rating Scale-Self report form and subscale, subtests of similarities, mazes, Wechsler’s picture regulation, and Wisconsin’s cart sorting test, tower of London test, and diagnostic interview based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-5 were used. Results: The results of multivariate of variance analysis (MANOVA) showed that there was a significant difference between frontal lobe function of students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and normal students. On the other hand, the function of frontal lobe among students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was significantly weaker than normal students (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The obtained results showed that functions of frontal lobe, such as inhibition behavior, social judgment, abstract reasoning, planning, and other functions related to this lobe among students with this disorder was weaker than normal students; hence, it is necessary to take measures in order to improve their psychological health through suitable treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy with emphasis on cognitive remediation, correcting cognitive distortions, and training behavioral techniques.