The Effects of Lockdown on the Severity of Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Disruptive Behavior Disorders and on Children/Adolescents' Ability to Cope with Stress

Research Article

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: The aim is to examine changes in the severity of symptoms during the lockdown period in patients diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD), and to determine the relationship between the methods of coping with the stress experienced by the children and the severity of ADHD and DBD.

Method: 92 patients, between the ages of 6-18, who were diagnosed with ADHD were included in the study. Sociodemographic data form and the Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale were given to parents, and the Coping Styles of Stress Scale was given to children.

Results: It was found that ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Conduct Disorder (CD) scores decreased significantly, compared to before the pandemic. There wasn’t a significant difference between pandemic-related features and ADHD, ODD, and CD scores. A significant relationship was not observed between stress-coping methods and ADHD and CD scores and as ODD scores increased, the rate of using the submissive approach increased.

Conclusion: Adaptation to acute changes such as a pandemic can be challenging for children and adolescents. During these processes, especially children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD are at risk for developing additional mental problems. Evaluating the stress-coping methods of patients diagnosed with ADHD and DBD and their parents who apply to outpatient clinics in interviews and supporting them to develop healthy coping methods are important issues both during stressful situations and in terms of providing psychological resilience against subsequent stresses.