Prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and co-morbid disorders among students of Cumhuriyet University

Abstract

TURKEYABSTRACT -Background and Objectives: Most of the previous studies investigated prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among university students with self report measures. Present study investigated actual prevalence of ADHD and comorbid disorders among university students in Cumhuriyet University of Sivas in Turkey.Methods: In the first stage, 980 university students filled in the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and socio-demographic form, 79 of whom were above the cut-off score of Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, considered as possible ADHD. They were evaluated in the second stage via structured interview SCID I, SCID II, Adult ADHD Module of MINI Plus. In addition, subjects filled in the self report Adult ADD/ADHD DSM IV-Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale.Results: The self report ADHD prevalence rate was 10.1% and the actual prevalence rate of ADHD among the university students was calculated 6.1%. The prevalence of ADHD was greater among male than female (7.0% vs. 5.5%). Among the male students inattentive subtype was 1.6%, hyperactive-impulsive 0.24%, combined 5.1%. Female students were found to be inattentive by 1.45%, hyperactive-impulsive by 0.56% and combined type by 3.48%. Most of the students with ADHD had Axis I (especially depressive disorders) and Axis II disorders (especially cluster B personality disorders). ADHD diagnosis was associated with more cigarette and alcohol use, academic failure, legal problems, somatic complaints and suicide attempts. Students with ADHD were spending more time on the Internet than students without ADHD. Only one student diagnosed with ADHD reported to have had previous ADHD diagnosis.Conclusions: ADHD is common among university students. Having a diagnosis of ADHD in early adulthood seems to be associated with psychological, social, and academic problems.

Examining the Rate of Self-Reported ADHD-Related Traits and Endorsement of Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Autistic-Like Traits in Australian University Students

“…Overall, these studies show that between 0% and 21.8% of tertiary students report clinically significant symptoms associated with ADHD, and inattention has consistently been the most commonly endorsed ADHD-related symptom (DuPaul et al, 2001;Harrison, Alexander, & Armstrong, 2013;Kavakci et al, 2012). This variability in rates of selfreported symptoms is attributed to the different measures utilized, each with their own symptom threshold and criteria for clinical significance.…”

“…This is further supported by Garnier-Dykstra, Pinchevsky, Caldeira, Vincent, and Arria (2010) who in a sample of 1,080 university students found that 10.3% of the entire sample scored in the clinical range on the ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), while only 2% of students reported a formal diagnosis of ADHD. In a study of 980 Turkish university students, 10.1% reported ADHD traits on the ASRS v1.1, while only 6.1% had a diagnosis (Kavakci et al, 2012).…”

“…While reporting of formal diagnoses may lead to an underestimation of the number of students who present with pathological traits of ADHD, self-report measures may yield a high rate of false positives and inflate the actual prevalence of ADHD (Gordon et al, 2006; Kavakci et al, 2012; Sibley et al, 2012). Indeed, when Murphy, Gordon, and Barkley (2002) surveyed 719 nonclinical individuals using a rating scale based on DSM- (4th ed.…”

Canonical Analysis of the Association Between Attention‐ Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder with Some Psychological Problems Among Students

“…Perhaps, in half of the children with ADHD symptoms, this disorder appears in adulthood (Ivanov & Yehuda, 2014;Klein et al, 2012). ADHD occurs in 3-7% of schoolage children and 4% of adults (Faraone & Antshe, 2008;Kavakci, Kugu, Semiz, Meydan, Karsikaya, & Dogan, 2012).…”

Investigation of Student Attention Deficit Disorder and Its Impact

“…A study suggest that among half of individuals, the symptoms become more visible during the adulthood (Ivanov & Yehuda, 2014;Klein et al, 2012). Other studies suggest that ADHD is common among school going children where almost 7% of school going children caught this disease while among 4% of population of adult is also subject to ADHD (Faraone & Antshe, 2008;Kavakci, Kugu, Semiz, Meydan, Karsikaya, & Dogan, 2012). Adult individuals who have ADHD face several problems such as difficulty in time management, less extent of social adjustment, lack of interpersonal and communication skills, execution action problems, emotional and psychological problems, attention deficit disorder, work and educational challenges, relationship challenges, and drug and alchol abuse problem (Bakhshani, Raghibi, & Babaei, 2011;Green & Rabiner, 2016).…”