Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among school children of working and non-working mothers

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood onset psychiatric disorders that affect 2.0 – 14.0% of school age children. The World Health Report 2001 estimated that 10% to 20% of children experience one or more mental health problems. Children with mental health problems are also at risk of later psychopathic conditions. Maternal employment and time spent with children is assumed to be important as the time mothers spend with children has a significant impact on congenital developments and overall well-being of children. Aims and Objectives: We conducted a cross sectional survey to assess the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among school children of working and non-working mothers. Methods: A Quantitative Research approach and Non-Experimental Comparative research design was used to assess the prevalence of ADHD among school children of working and non-working mothers in selected schools of Ludhiana, Punjab. Using simple random sampling technique a sample of 120 school children including 60 school children of working mothers and 60 school children of non-working mothers aging 6 – 12 years were selected. Parents of these children studying in selected schools were informed regarding the study and after taking consent; children were assessed for presence of ADHD using Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale. Results: The findings of the present study reveals that the prevalence of ADHD among school children of working mothers was higher (33.33%) as compared to children of non-working mothers (23.33%) but the difference was not found to be statistically significant at p<0.05 level. Overall prevalence of ADHD was 28.33%.