Low quality of life scores in school children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder related to anxiety

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an alteration that begins early in infancy and whose cardinal symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. There are few studies for specific tests to measure Quality of Life (QoL) in children with ADHD. Methods: We evaluated QoL of 120 children from 7-12 years of age with ADHD and of a group of 98 healthy control children. To measure QoL, we utilized the Questionnaire of Quality of Life for Children in Pictures (AutoQuestionnaire Qualite de Vie Enfant Image, AUQUEI). We evaluated anxiety in children by the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Revisited (CMAS-R). We compared results among groups and employed the calculation of correlation between the AUQUEI questionnaire and the CMAS-R scale. Results: The total average of the AUQUEI questionnaire in children with ADHD was 45.2, while in the control group it was 54.3 (p<0.05). We also observed significant differences between the control group and groups of children with ADHD in the CMAS-R scale. We found significant correlations between AUQUEI questionnaire and CMAS-R scale. Conclusion: The main result was to the disclosure that low QoL scores in ADHD children was anxiety-related.