The Prevalence and Comorbidity Rates of ADHD Among School-Age Children in Turkey.

The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence and comorbidity rates of ADHD in a community sample of school-age children. Participants were 1,508 children aged 6 to 14 years. Parents and teachers of each child completed the Turgay (4th ed.; ) Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (T--S). Screen-positive cases were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Diagnoses were based on criteria. The prevalence rate of ADHD was 8%. Children from extended families had extremely high rates (46.4%) of ADHD. Sixty percent of children with ADHD had one or more comorbid diagnoses. The most common comorbidities were learning disorders (35.7%) and oppositional defiant disorder (22.6%). The prevalence and comorbidity rates of ADHD in school-age children in Turkey are similar to those found in previous studies in other countries.