ADHD Symptoms and Quality of Life Across a 12-Month Period in Children With ADHD: A Longitudinal Study. Issue 13 (November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mulraney, Melissa; Giallo, Rebecca; Sciberras, Emma; Lycett, Kate; Mensah, Fiona; Coghill, David
• Is Part Of: Journal of attention disorders. Volume 23:Issue 13(2019)
• Page Start: 1675
• Page End: 1685
• Publication Date: 2019-11
• Subjects: ADHD -- quality of life -- symptom change; Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- Periodicals; Attention -- Periodicals; 616.8589
• DOI: 10.1177/1087054717707046
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1087-0547

Abstract

Objective: To describe the relationship between ADHD symptom severity and quality of life (QoL) across three time points over a 12-month period and investigate whether sleep modifies this relationship.Method: Children aged 5 to 13 years with ADHD were recruited from 21 pediatric practices across Victoria, Australia ( N = 392). Child QoL (parent-report) and ADHD symptoms (both parent- and teacher-report) were assessed at three time points (0, 6, and 12 months), and sleep was assessed at baseline (parent-report). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlations and autoregressive cross-lagged panel models.Results: Parent-reported ADHD symptoms predicted poorer QoL at each subsequent time point ( r = −.10 to −.13), and a small bidirectional relationship was observed between teacher-reported ADHD symptoms and QoL from 6 to 12 months. Sleep moderated the relationship between ADHD symptoms and QoL.Conclusion: Clinicians need to look beyond core ADHD symptoms to other factors that may be influencing QoL in children with ADHD.