Attention-deficit hyperactivity in elementary school children in Ulaanbaatar: spectral analysis of electroencephalogram and emotional intelligence

Abstract

ADHD stands for Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; it is a disorder that occurs during childhood development and presents signs of reduced attention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. This study presented the direct association between emotional ability and spectral analysis of electroencephalography of Mongolian children with ADHD. Of a total of 1200 children, who were attending primary schools in Ulaanbaatar, 30 children were diagnosed with ADHD according to Teachers' and Parents' survey versions of DSM-IV ("Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders"). The sample consisted of 60 children aged 7-12 years (20 % female and 80 males; M age = 9.34, SD = 0.96): 30 children diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy children as a control group and presented the same sociodemographic characteristics of the study sample. They all completed Bar-On Quotient Inventory Youth Version (EQ-i: YV), and performed electroencephalography (EEG). Results indicated that children with ADHD presented significantly lower scores in interpersonal scales, adaptability, general mood scales, and total EQ scores than the control group. Comparing forms of ADHD, the intrapersonal scale statistically differed between the hyperactive and combined forms (p = 0.021) and the adaptability scale between attention deficit and the combined form (p = 0.026). Moreover, the study found a statistically significant increase in the posterior delta and theta power, whereas there was a decrease in theta/beta and theta/alpha wave ratio in all brain parts in the ADHD group concerning the healthy group.