Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | Investigating the Characteristics and Symptom Severity of Preschool Children with ADHD |
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| Contribution code | D1.067 |
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| Form of presentation | Poster |
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| Abstract |
Aims: This study aimed to investigate the severity of ADHD symptoms, and the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of patients who are preschool-aged and diagnosed with ADHD, to increase physicians' awareness of preschool ADHD. Methods: The study retrospectively evaluated the medical records of patients younger than 6 years who were diagnosed with ADHD at the time of presentation to the child psychiatry outpatient clinics of Kocaeli University between 2012 and 2024. Sociodemographic characteristics and scores on the Early Childhood Inventory-4 (ECI-4) form were obtained from the records. Results and Conclusions: The records of 412 patients were accessed. 95 of the patients were girls, and 317 were boys. The mean age of the children at presentation to the clinic was 4.92±1.05 years. The most common presenting complaint was hyperactivity-impulsivity (52.2%) and the most common comorbidity was oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (29.4%). Accident history was found to be significantly higher in males (p = 0.003) and applicants aged 0-3 years (p = 0.022). Co-diagnosis of ODD was found to be significantly higher (p = 0.047) in patients aged 4-6 years. There was no difference between the parent and teacher form scores, and no difference was observed in the subscale scores of both groups in terms of age and gender. As a result, determining the characteristics of ADHD symptoms observed in the preschool period will enable identifying risk groups and early referral to physicians. Early diagnosis and treatment are also important in terms of both the elimination of the current loss of functionality and the prognosis of ADHD. |