Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), parenting style and depression among school-going children in Entebbe Municipal Council, Wakiso District.

Abstract

Background: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common child mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between ADHD, parenting style and depression among Ugandan primary school pupils. Methods: This study used a descriptive study design. Purposive sampling was used. The study included 430 respondents between 8 years old and 13 years old in primary school in Entebbe Municipal Council, Wakiso District. The SDQ was used to screen for hyperactivity symptoms, the Parenting Style Inventory –II (PSI-II) to answer questions about caregiver parenting strategies, and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) to diagnose ADHD and depression. The collected data was analysed using IBM SPSS software (Version 22) using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, PROCESS analysis and Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC) Curve analysis. Results: ADHD prevalence was estimated at 29.1%. Depression prevalence was estimated at 10.9%. ADHD and depression’s comorbidity prevalence was estimated at 23%. ADHD had a significant direct effect on depression (b= -.69, se = .13, p < 0.05). Parenting style did not moderate the association between ADHD and depression (a = -.04, se = .15). The SDQ’s hyperactive sub-scale had good screening ability for this population (AUC = .737: moderate diagnostic accuracy). Conclusions: There was an association between ADHD and depression for primary school-going children in Entebbe. Parenting style had no association with either ADHD or depression. It also did not significantly moderate the association between ADHD and depression. The SDQ had good predictive ability for hyperactivity symptoms in this sample.