Quality of life in parents of children with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder

Aim The aim of our study was to investigate and compare the quality of life of parents of children with ADHD and parents of children within psychiatric troubles. Methods We conducted a cross sectional and comparative study, on 20 families of children with ADHD, followed in child and adolescent psychiatry department of Sfax, Tunisia, and 20 control families. We used the Short Form Health Survey (SF 36) translated and validated in Arabic to evaluate the quality of life of the parents of the two groups. Results The average age of the patients of our survey was 9 years 8 months with a predominance of boys. We objectified a significant difference between the overall scores of the quality of life of parents of children with ADHD and the control sample. A highly significant difference was noted in the following areas: mental health, bodily pain and social functioning. The difference was significant in vitality score. The difference was not significant in 4 scores: general health, physical functioning, role physical, and role emotional. Conclusion Families with a child with ADHD have many challenges which impact certainly in their quality of life. As a child and adolescent's psychiatrics, we should be aware of these consequences in order to help the parents to improve their quality of life.