Abstract
This study assessed quality of life, emotional and behavioral problems, prosocial behavior, and functional impairment in a sample of Iranian children based on their attention and behavioral control skills. The sample consisted of 280 male and female children aged between 6 and 12 years old who were divided into strong, moderate, and weak groups based on parental ratings of attention and behavioral control skills on the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD symptom and normal behavior rating scale (SWAN). In addition, parents completed the pediatric quality of life inventory version 4.0 generic core scales (PedsQL 4.0), the strengths and difficulties questionnaire, and the Weiss functional impairment rating scale-parent report (WFIRS-P). The strong group generally showed better quality of life than the weak group. The strong group was better than the moderate group, and the moderate group was better than the weak group on school functioning. The weak group had more conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention and less prosocial behavior than the moderate group and the strong group. The moderate group had more hyperactivity/inattention than the strong group. The weak group showed more impairment than the moderate group and the strong group on all subscales and the total scale of the WFIRS-P. The quality of life, behavioral problems, prosocial behavior, and functional impairment can be different in children based on their attention and behavioral control skills.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV), 4th edn. American Psychiatric Publishing, Washington, DC
American Psychiatric Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edn. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC
Amiri P, Eslamian G, Mirmiran P, Shiva N, Jafarabadi M, Azizi F (2012) Validity and reliability of the Iranian version of the pediatric quality of life inventory™ 4.0 (PedsQL™) generic core scales in children. Health Qual Life Outcomes 10:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-10-3
Arnett AB, Pennington BF, Friend A, Willcutt EG, Byrne B, Samuelsson S, Olson RK (2013) The SWAN captures variance at the negative and positive ends of the ADHD symptom dimension. J Atten Disord 17:152–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054711427399
Barkley R, Murphy K (1998) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a clinical workbook, 2nd edn. Guilford, New York
Bentler PM (1990) Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychol Bull 107:238–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238
Browne MW, Cudeck R (1993) Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In: Bollen KA, Long JS (eds) Testing structural equation models. Sage, Newbury Park, pp 136–162
Coghill D, Sonuga-Barke EJS (2012) Annual research review: categories versus dimensions in the classification and conceptualisation of child and adolescent mental disorders—implications of recent empirical study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 53:469–489. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02511.x
Frazier TW, Youngstrom EA, Naugle RI (2007) The latent structure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a clinic referred sample. Neuropsychology 21:45–64. https://doi.org/10.1037/0894-4105.21.1.45
George D, Mallery P (2003) SPSS for windows step by step: a simple guide and reference. 11.0 update, 4th edn. Allyn & Bacon, Boston
Goldstein SL, Graham N, Warady BA et al (2008) Measuring health-related quality of life in children with ESRD: performance of the generic and ESRD-specific instrument of the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL). Am J Kidney Dis 51:285–297. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2007.09.021
Goodman R (1997) The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38:581–586. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x
Greven CU, Buitelaar JK, Salum GA (2018) From positive psychology to psychopathology: the continuum of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 59:203–212. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12786
Hay DA, Bennett KS, Levy F, Sergeant J, Swanson J (2007) A twin study of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder dimensions rated by the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD-symptoms and normal-behavior (SWAN) scale. Biol Psychiatry 61:700–705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.04.040
Hu LT, Bentler PM (1999) Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Struct Equ Model 6:1–55
Huber M, van Vliet M, Giezenberg M, Winkens B, Heerkens Y, Dagnelie PC, Knottnerus JA (2016) Towards a “patient-centred” operationalisation of the new dynamic concept of health: a mixed methods study. BMJ Open 6:e010091. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010091
Huberty CJ (2002) A history of effect size indices. Educ Psychol Meas 62:227–240. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164402062002002
Iannaccone ST, Hynan LS, Morton A, Buchanan R, Limbers CA, Varni JW (2009) The PedsQL™ in pediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy: feasibility, reliability, and validity of the pediatric quality of life inventory™ generic core scales and neuromuscular module. Neuromuscul Disord 19:805–812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmd.2009.09.009
Kiani B, Hadianfard H (2016) Psychometric properties of a persian self-report version of Swanson, Nolan and Pelham rating scale (version IV) for screening attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adolescents. Iran J Psychiatry Clin Psychol 21:317–326
Kiani B, Hadianfard H, Weiss MD (2018) Descriptive and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Weiss functional impairment rating scale: parent report form in Iranian children. Health Qual Life Outcomes. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-018-1053-1
Lai KYC, Leung PWL, Luk ESL, Wong ASY, Law LSC, Ho KKY (2011) Validation of the Chinese strengths and weaknesses of ADHD-symptoms and normal-behaviors questionnaire in Hong Kong. J Atten Disord 17:194–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054711430711
Lakes KD, Swanson JM, Riggs M (2011) The reliability and validity of the English and Spanish strengths and weaknesses of ADHD and normal behavior rating scales in a preschool sample. J Atten Disord 16:510–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054711413550
Pennington BF (2002) The development of psychopathology: nature and nurture. Guilford, New York
Rutter M, Nikapota A (2002) Culture, ethnicity, society and psychopathology. In: Rutter M, Taylor E (eds) Child and adolescent psychiatry. Blackwell Publications, Oxford, pp 277–286
Swanson JM, Schuck S, Porter MM et al (2012) Categorical and dimensional definitions and evaluations of symptoms of ADHD: history of the SNAP and the SWAN rating scales. Int J Educ Psychol Assess 10:51–70
Varni JW, Seid M, Kurtin PS (2001) PedsQL™ 4.0: reliability and validity of the pediatric quality of life inventory™ version 4.0 generic core scales in healthy and patient populations. Med Care 39:800–812. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-200108000-00006
Varni JW, Limbers CA, Burwinkle TM, Bryant WP, Wilson DP (2008) The ePedsQLTM in type 1 and type 2 diabetes: feasibility, reliability, and validity of the pediatric quality of life inventory™ internet administration. Diabetes Care 31:672–677. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc07-20218
Weiss MD (2000) Weiss functional impairment rating scale (WFIRS) self-report. University of British Columbia, Vancouver. http://naceonline.com/AdultADHDtoolkit/assessmenttools/wfirs.pdf
Weiss MD, McBride NM, Craig S, Jensen P (2018) Conceptual review of measuring functional impairment: findings from the Weiss functional impairment rating scale. Evid Based Ment Health 21:155–164. https://doi.org/10.1136/ebmental-2018-300025
Willcutt EG (2012) The prevalence of DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Neurotherapeutics 9:490–499. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-012-0135-8
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Compliance with ethical standards
The study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Informed consent
The parents of the children approved and signed the informed consent form.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kiani, B., Hadianfard, H. & Mitchell, J.T. Attention and behavioral control skills in Iranian school children. ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord 11, 263–270 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-019-00289-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-019-00289-5