ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER IN ATHLETIC POPULATION

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with heterogeneous expression affecting quality of life. The incidence of ADHD may be increased among athletes who participate at the elite level. A surprising number of professional athletes have attention deficit disorder (ADHD). In fact, an estimated eight to ten percent of all pro athletes have the condition, as compared to four to five percent of the general population of adults. In the present study we evaluated ADHD symptoms in athletes who participate at the elite level. we hypothesized that ADHD symptoms would be more closely related to sport behavior. METHODS: This was a descriptive -analytical study of 63 sportsmen that participating in Olympic competition at the elite level. They completed Persian Adult ADHD Rating Scales-self-report (CAARS-S-SV). We divided them to two groups (active and inactive sportsmen). We compared ADHD symptom in 63 sportsmen with 50 subjects of scientific Olympiad and 221 students without history of sport competition. RESULTS: The comparison among four groups of this study in mean age did not show statistically significant difference (F = 2.14, P = 0.52). The data showed that four groups in our study did not differ statistically significant on demographic parameters (age, gender, and Marital status) (P> 0.05). The results of ANOVA tests for comparison among four groups (active sportsmen, inactive sportsmen, Olympiad and non- sportsmen) show that significant difference on inattention (F= 5.911, df3,330 , sig=0.001), hyperactivity (F= 6.895, df3,330 , sig=0.0001), and ADHD index (F= 12.239, df3,330 , sig=0.0001), were existed. Conclusion: There were statistically significant differences in mean inattention, hyperactivity and ADHD index score in above four groups. Keywords: ADHD- Athlete- Adult- Elite-Sport.