Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among school-aged children in Jordan

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms among school children in Jordan and the probable associated risk factors. This was a crosssectional descriptive study and simple random sampling was used to select 480 students, aged 6?12 years, from government primary schools in Mafraq City, Jordan. Data were collected using the modified Arabic version of the Attention Deficit Disorder Evaluation Scale (ADDES) school version and parental questionnaire. Prevalence rates within the inattentive, hyperactive?impulsive and combined subtypes were 10.83, 9.58 and 20.21%, respectively. Increased family size and being male were both associated with increased prevalence of ADHD symptoms. The study revealed that ADHD is common among Jordanian school children. The government should establish education programmes to increase awareness of ADHD.