THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTENTION DEFICIT / HYPERACTIVITY AND IMMATURITY IN CHILDREN AGES 13-7 YEARS OLD REFERRING TO HEALTH CENTERS IN RAFSANJAN CITY

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common
psychiatric disorders in children. Lack of attention and recognition can have harmful effects on the
individual and family. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between attention deficit /
hyperactivity (ADHD) in children with premature birth.
Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study 550 children from 7 to 12 years old who referred to
health centers of Rafsanjan in 2014 were included. Health records of patients, Conners’ Rating Scales
and demographic questionnaire were used. The collected data were analyzed using t-test, Chi-square
test and SPSS-18.
Results: In this study, 28 patients (5.5%) weighed less than 2500 grams at birth. From the 49 children
with ADHD, 14 (6.28%) children were born premature. The difference between children with ADHD
and without ADHD in terms of birth weight was significant (P =001.0).
Conclusion: Precocity, age, type of delivery, birth weight and alcohol consumption during pregnancy
seem to have decisive role in the development of attention deficit / hyperactivity (ADHD) in children.
Paying attention to factors that can predict the risk of attention deficit / hyperactivity in children in the
future is essential.