The Effect of Increase in Social Interest on Reducing the Symptom of Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder in 8 to 11 Year-old Children

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of increase in social interest on reducing problems of children with ADHD. The present study is a quasi-experimental research conducted with pretest, posttest, and follow-up control group design. To this end, 31 individuals, who visited clinics in Urmia and were diagnosed with this disorder, were selected through convenience sampling and were divided randomly into experimental and control groups. Conners’ rating scale was used as the pretest for both groups. The experimental group attended 15 training sessions about development of sense of belonging and social interest. On the other hand, the control group remained uninvolved. The same scale was administered to both groups as posttest and a three-month follow-up. The covariance analysis was used to analyze the data. The results show that ADHD symptoms are significantly reduced in the control group which was encouraged to increase its social interest. The results of the present study emphasize the fact that developing the sense of belonging and social interest is the essential part of any treatment or guidance program for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.