Predictors of Quality of Life and Symptom Severity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD is one of the most widely studied conditions in schoolage children, and a major reason for referral to health care services due to the multidimensional nature of the impairment experienced by patients with this disorder [1]. The prevalence of ADHD in the pediatric population is estimated to be 7% [2]. ADHD is characterized by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, with onset before age 12, which often continue into adolescence and adulthood, in one of three forms of clinical presentation: combined, predominantly inattentive, and predominantly hyperactive/impulsive (APA, 2013). According to expert opinion [3] and patients themselves [4] the most common functional impairments in ADHD are associated with neuropsychological performance (especially attention) [3] school performance and social functioning [3,4]. The presence of neuropsychological impairments in patients with ADHD relative to control subjects is corroborated by studies involving neuropsychological assessment, especially of the executive functions [5-7]. However, short-term memory is the only cognitive function to have shown a specific association with the severity of hyperactivity symptoms [8]. There is no consensus in the literature regarding the association between the clinical presentation of ADHD and specific patterns of cognitive impairment. Executive functioning profiles, for instance, have been found to vary widely between patients [9]. There is also a need for additional research into the association between symptom severity and neuropsychological performance in these populations.