Being a Child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Parent of Them During the Pandemic Period

Authors : İrem Damla Çimen, Müjdat Erarkadaş, Nefise Büşra Çelebi, Akın Altuğ Özboduroğlu, Özlem Yıldız Gündoğdu

Pages : 1-14

View : 53 | Download : 38

Publication Date : 2025-03-18

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), whose main symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in childhood. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the mental status and parent-child relationship of parents with children diagnosed with ADHD and to examine the relationship between these variables and the change in ADHD symptom severity during the lockdown in Turkey. Method: The study sample consists of 92 children and adolescents who were followed up with ADHD diagnosis at the Kocaeli University Hospital, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department, before the pandemic, who had the Atilla Turgay DSM-IV Based Screening and Assessment Scale filled out by their parents within the last year before the beginning of the pandemic, and who continued to be followed up during the pandemic. In the interviews conducted in 2021 during the pandemic, the parents were given a sociodemographic data form, the Atilla Turgay DSM-IV Based Screening and Assessment Scale, the Parent-Child Relationship Scale, and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). Result: A positive correlation was found between all subscales of the BSI (anxiety, depression, negative self concept, somatization, hostility, discomfort severity index, global severity index) and ADHD subtypes (attention deficit dominant type; hyperactivity and impulsivity dominant type; combined type), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) symptom severity. A positive correlation was found between a negative parent-child relationship and ADHD subtypes, ODD and CD symptom severity. Conclusion: In conclusion, having ADHD and comorbid ODD or CD in their children increases psychological symptoms of parents. It is believed that the results of the study will be useful in approaching children diagnosed with ADHD in case the pandemic intensifies again or restrictions are required for various reasons.
Keywords : Dikkat eksikliği hiperaktivite bozukluğu, ebeveyn-çocuk ilişkisi, pandemi, karantina.