Study of the Prevalence Rate of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Primary Schoolchildren in Karbala.

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurobehavioral disorders in children and adolescents. It involves a consistent pattern of inattention, overactivity, and impulsivity that is severe, persistent (for at least 6 months), pervasive (impacts more than one area of functioning), and debilitating, and requires long-term treatment. The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of ADHD among 1st-class primary school children in Karbala, compare the findings of this study with other studies conducted in other parts of the world, and to correlate ADHD with sociodemographic variables (sex, rural/urban, and parent education). The survey was conducted in eighteen primary schools; 1550 children aged 6-10 in Karbala was involved in the survey, and an 82-day survey was carried out from November 2, 2025, to January 22, 2026, in two stages. The first stage (screening stage) involved screening the total sample of children (1550 children) using a “teacher’s questionnaire” to identify possible cases of ADHD among the children, and a second (assessment) stage was done using a "semi-structured parent’s questionnaire” based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for diagnosis of ADHD. The findings revealed that the prevalence of ADHD was 5.1% among primary school children, which was higher in males than females, in the last-born, and among children of uneducated parents, and in the suburbs compared to rural areas. This rate was compared to that of other regions of Iraq and other parts of the world, and reasons explaining the differences were discussed. This study suggests the prevalence rate of ADHD among school children in our country is comparable to that of other neighbouring countries and countries elsewhere in the world and that there are certain factors such as sex, lack of education on both sides, and last-born children that have an additional risk of developing ADHD and should be highlighted as a need for treatment.