Background&Aims:

Primary school children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may show deficiencies in social skills in school settings. Students who have low emotional intelligence (EI) were reported by their teachers as having more behavioral problems. This study aims to evaluate EI and teachers’ behavioral ratings in a group of children between 7-13 years who referred to child psychiatry outpatient clinic with ADHD complaints compared with controls having similar age and sex. 71

Methods:

Clinical psychiatric diagnoses were established by using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version. Teachers filled out Conner’s Teacher and DSM-IV ADHD Checklists. EI was rated by using Bar-On EI Quotient Inventory Youth Version. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) assessments were made by using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. Student’s t- test is used for further comparative analysis, whereas regression analysis was used for predictive factors (SPSS 20.0 descriptive statistics).

Results:

The treatment-naïve ADHD group consisted 65 children (mean age: 10.34 ± 1.86; 48 male, 17 female) and 61 healthy controls (mean age: 10.16 ± 1.69; 21 male, 40 female). The ADHD severity was determined as moderate according to Clinical Global Impairment Scale and the diagnosis age was 8.6 ± 2.11. EI domains (p< 0.001) in children with ADHD were significantly lower than the control group. Hyperactivity subscale scores of Conners’ ratings revealed significance inversely in relation to EI scores (p< 0.05).  Verbal IQ scores were positively related to higher EI levels in ADHD group (p< 0.05). Moreover, absence of an ADHD diagnosis was a predictive factor of the level of EI in children. 116

Conclusions:

The identification of possible deficits of EI in ADHD subgroups might enhance the possibility of early intervention that could lead to better academic fulfillment in school settings. Teachers may play an important role in directing families about psychosocial issues related to ADHD. 44

REFERENCES

1. Solanto, M. V., et al. (2009). "Social functioning in predominantly inattentive and combined subtypes of children with ADHD." Journal of attention disorders 13(1): 27-35.

2. Gioia, G. A., et al. (2000). "Test review behavior rating inventory of executive function." Child Neuropsychology 6(3): 235-238. Lopes, P. N., et al. (2004). "Emotional intelligence and social interaction." Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 30(8): 1018-1034.

3. McCandless, S. and L. OLaughlin (2007). "The clinical utility of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in the diagnosis of ADHD." Journal of attention disorders 10(4): 381-389.

4. Bar-On, R. (1997). Development of the BarOn EQ-i: A measure of emotional and social intelligence. 105th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Chicago.