Prevalenza del Disturbo da Deficit dell'Attenzione/Iperattività in un ampio campione di preadolescenti italiani

Aim. This study aims at estimating the prevalence of DSM-III-R Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a large school-based sample of Italian early-adolescents and analyzing the influence of gender on symptoms. This is a longitudinal study investigating developmental antecedents of deviant behaviors. Methods. The sample is composed of 570 subjects volunterely recruited among students attending 11 public schools located in the urban area of Parma, in the North of Italy. The sample was balanced for gender [308 (53%) females and 273 (47%) males] and mean age was 11.96 years (SD=±0.48). All subjects were administered the ADHD section of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA-R), a structured interview for the assessment of developmental disorders according to DSM-III-R. Results. Our data show a lifetime prevalence of ADHD of 1.2% with a male/female ratio of 1.5:1. Conclusions. Our results are in line with those of recent studies suggesting that gender differences in prevalence and symptomathology of ADHD may be attributed to a referral bias.