Abstract
Background: Early assessment and intervention are crucial to alleviate symptoms and prevent long-term negative outcomes in children suffering from Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In Germany, at present, no standardized screening for ADHD is routinely administered. This study aims to evaluate a potential screening measure in a study population that is representative for a primary school entrance exam population in a German metropolitan region.Methods: Based on various socio-demographic variables, a sample of n = 500 5-year-old children (58% boys, 42% girls), representative of a primary school entrance exam population from a German metropolitan region, was selected. Their parents completed a written survey consisting of the CBCL and a brief screening tool for ADHD symptomatology based on the DISYPS-II questionnaire. Demographic data were also collected.Results: The subscale “Attention problems” of the CBCL/4-18 showed results in the clinical range for n = 10 (2%) participants. The ADHD screening identified n = 23 (4.6%) participants as suspect of having ADHD with a statistically significant gender difference (n = 17 boys vs. n = 6 girls, p = 0.03). In n = 5 (1%) participants, all boys, both CBCL/4-18 and the ADHD screening were indicative of ADHD.Conclusions: Results indicate that screening for ADHD in this population may be both feasible and reasonable given the high prevalence and chronic nature of this disorder and the benefit of an early initiation of treatment. Results match previously reported figures for prevalence of ADHD-related symptoms and gender differences in preschool and older pediatric populations and thus do not support the hypothesis that the prevalence of ADHD in a metropolitan region is significantly higher than in other regions.
Highlights
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention [1]
Main exclusion criteria were: serious unstable illnesses, non-agreement to further investigation, and previous treatment for ADHD. The latter was chosen in line with previous, similar studies [20] and in order to create a sample representative for a primary school entrance exam population in a real-world setting as children with a previous treatment for ADHD are already professionally cared for and would not benefit from a screening procedure
The survey consisted of one general child psychopathology questionnaire, one ADHD-specific screening instrument, as well as a number of additional questions assessing psychosocial status and demographic variables: Child Behavior Checklist CBCL/4-18
Summary
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention [1]. It is one of the most common psychiatric disorder in children world-wide with a prevalence of ∼5% in school-aged children [2,3,4]. ADHD as a chronic psychiatric disorder has been related with impairments along the lifespan. Early assessment and intervention are crucial to prevent such outcomes in children suffering from ADHD. Assessment and intervention are crucial to alleviate symptoms and prevent long-term negative outcomes in children suffering from Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aims to evaluate a potential screening measure in a study population that is representative for a primary school entrance exam population in a German metropolitan region
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