A Comparative Analysis of Health-Related Quality of Life and Family Impact Between Children With ADHD Treated in a General Pediatric Clinic and a Psychiatric Clinic Utilizing the PedsQL

Objective: To evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) from the perspective of children with ADHD and their parents being seen in a Pediatric Clinic in comparison to healthy children and children with ADHD being seen in a Psychiatric Clinic. Method: Participants were children with a physician diagnosis of ADHD ages 5-18 years and their parents (n = 17, General Pediatric Clinic; n = 181, Psychiatric Clinic). Children and parents completed the PedsQL (TM) 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Parents completed the PedsQL Family Impact Module and Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scales. Results: Pediatric patients with ADHD being seen in the Pediatric Clinic demonstrated substantially lower HRQOL in comparison to the matched healthy sample, and significantly higher HRQOL and family functioning than pediatric patients with ADHD being seen in the Psychiatric Clinic. Conclusion: These data demonstrate the substantial negative impact of ADHD on HRQOL from the perspective of both children and parents. (J. of Att. Dis. 2011; 15(5) 392-402)