ADHD rate in parents of children with ADHD

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the rate of ADHD symptoms of the parents of children with ADHD, and the severity of symptoms and comorbidity in children with parental ADHD. Methods: Eighty-one children between ages of 7-16 with a diagnosis of ADHD and their parents who were referred to the outpatient clinic and as the control group 60 children who did not have a diagnosis of ADHD and with similar features such as age, sex and mental status with the patient group were enrolled in the study. All children were assessed with K-SADS-PL-T and with interviews based on DSM-IV. The symptoms of children were evaluated by the Conners Rating Scale for Parents (CPRS) and the Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S). Parents were assessed with the Wender-Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and with the Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Scale (ADHS-A). Results: The parents of the ADHD group had statistically higher scores of WURS and ADHS-A compared with the control group. Positive correlations were found between WURS and ADHS-A scores of the parents and T-DSM-IV-S and CPRS scores of the children. Prevalence of comorbidity in children with parental ADHD according to WURS and ADHS-A was higher than children with no parental ADHD. Discussion: It was concluded that ADHD symptom levels was increased in the parents of children with ADHD in comparison to the control group. And also the severity and the comorbidity of ADHD was higher in children with parental ADHD [Anadolu Psikiyatri Derg 2011; 12(3.000): 212-220]