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ADHD Associated With Poor Health-Related Quality of Life in Children
Childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was found to be associated with a “substantially poorer” health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Findings from the systematic review and meta-analysis were published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.
“This systematic review and meta-analysis found that children with ADHD had significantly poorer HRQoL than children without ADHD from both parents’ and children’s perspectives,” wrote first author Sithara Wanni Arachchige Dona, associate research fellow, Health Economics, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Australia, and co-authors. “These findings highlight the need for effective ADHD treatment and for increased efforts to make ADHD treatment accessible for families. Strategies to treat or support children with ADHD should consider the child’s wellbeing rather than only the condition itself.”
The researchers systematically searched databases for peer-reviewed studies examining pediatric ADHD and associated HRQoL published between 2010 and 2022. For studies that utilized the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), a meta-analysis was conducted. The final review encompassed 23 studies, of which 20 were cross-sectional studies, 1 cohort study, 1 case-control study, and 1 secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.
Meta-analysis of the included studies identified a “very large” effect in both parent-reported (Hedges’ g –1.67, 95% CI [-2.57, -0.78]) and child-reported (Hedges’ g –1.28, 95% CI [-2.01, -0.56]) HRQoL for children with ADHD compared to children without ADHD. In children with ADHD, parent-reported HRQoL was lower than child-reported HRQoL.
“HRQoL is increasingly valued as a key element to understanding the impact of health problems on children, particularly with mental health issues and is increasingly considered to be crucial to measure as a treatment outcome,” the authors noted in the study discussion.
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