Risk Factors of Attention Deficit Disorder Among Children: A Study in A Tertiary Care Unit

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactive disorder affects children in a school going age group. It is characterissed by neurobehavioural disorder with hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsiveness and slow learning. The familial environment plays a great role in the development of ADHD. Materials and methods: 42 children between the age of <1 to 10 years who came to the psychiatric department with the symptoms of ADHD were included into the study. After a thorough physical and clinical examination to rule out other illness of the child, a predesigned questionnaire was used to assess the ADHD. The child’s age, date of birth, birth weight, delivery date, whether pretern, or post term was noted. Other familial details such as the economic status, nature of the family, smoking and alcohol status of the mother during pregnancy etc were also noted.  Results: Most of the children in the study (61.9%) were between the age of 5-9 years, while 31% less than 5 years. 69.1% of the patients belonged to the lower socioeconomic group, while 30.9% belonged to the middle class. 73.8% of the patients lived in nuclear family. 42.9% of the children had both the parent working, while 35.7% had parents with irregular or occasional work and not a steady job. 28.6% patients had a close family member with ADHD. 9.5% of the mothers smoked during their pregnancy and 21.4% consumed alcohol. 64.3% were preterm and 33.3% had low birth weight.  Conclusion: Children who have been exposed to environmental risk factors such as preterm birth, low socioeconomic status, parents with early marriages, mothers consuming alcohol and smoking during pregnancy and those with a familial history of ADHD are more at risk to get ADHD. Therefore, and early detection can aid in timely intervention to improve the quality of life of the child as well as the family.