Prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

Introduction Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder in children and is described as a disease involving loss of self-control. The core symptoms of ADHD are inattentiveness, impulsivity, and motor unrest. Furthermore, poor concentration, distraction, hyperactivity, and poor academic achievement at school or at home are other symptoms. ADHD, like other prevalent medical disorders such as asthma and schizophrenia, may be impacted by several genes and has multiple contributing causes that are not all related to each other. The management of ADHD contains multimodal treatments, starting with psycho-education for parents and the child or adolescent patient in an age-appropriate manner called cognitive behavioral therapy. The worldwide prevalence rate of ADHD among children is 7.2% and, in some countries, can be higher and reach 15.5%; studies show the average prevalence of ADHD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is 9.2%. Method A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 among children who live in Makkah between the ages of 4 and 14 years old via an online survey that contained the ADHD Rating Scale-IV for parents/teachers, and caregivers based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV criteria. The scale was translated into Arabic and contains 18 questions about ADHD symptoms. Result The overall prevalence of combined ADHD among children in Makkah is 52.5% (n=203 out of 387); most of them were males (30.8%) and 21.7% were females (P=0.09), and most of the combined ADHD prevalence was between the ages of 11 and 14 (20.4%), then the age of 4-7 (16.8%), and 15.3% of them were between 8 and 10 years old. Additionally, the results show a higher prevalence of combined ADHD in Makkah city (33.1%) (n=121) in comparison to rural areas 19.4% (n=82) (P=0.132). Conclusion The aim of the study was to measure the prevalence rate of ADHD in the Makkah region. The study showed a high prevalence rate of ADHD (52.5%) among children in Makkah; the study was carried out online using an ADHD scale, and more accurate results could be found by using face-to-face interviews and including both parents and teachers.