Associated Factors with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: The current study attempted to investigate factors associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children without co-morbidities.METHODS: In this case-control study, 164 ADHD children who attended the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran were compared with 166 normal children selected in a random-cluster method from primary and secondary schools. Clinical interviews based on DSM–IV–TR using K-SADS were used to diagnose ADHD cases and to select the control group. Participants were matched for age. We used chi-square and binary logistic regression for data analysis.RESULTS: Among the associated factors with ADHD were gender and maternal employment. Boys (OR 0.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.34 – 0.86) and those children with working mothers (OR 0.16: 95% confidence interval: 0.06 – 0.86) suffered more from ADHD. The birth season, family size, birth order, and parental kinship were not among risk factors for ADHD.CONCLUSION:The results of the study show that maternal employment and male gender are among the associated risk factors for ADHD