Effects of Combined Treatment on Turkish Children Diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of combined treatment on children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After careful screening, 47 children (57%) diagnosed with ADHD + oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and 36 children (43%) diagnosed with ADHD + conduct disorder (CD) were included in the study. Treatment consisted of ongoing medication (methylphenidate) management and a parent-training program that continued for 5 months. Children were assessed in multiple domains by multiple sources of information at baseline and at the end of the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months by parent- and teacher-completed the Turgay Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV)-Based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS), and Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS). Mother-child relationship was assessed by the Parental Acceptance and Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ). Combined treatment was effective in reducing the ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms. Analyses of the data revealed that medication, rather than parent training, was responsible for the improvements both in the symptoms and in the mother-child relationship. The results of the study, in line with the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA) findings, highlighted the role of stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD.