Prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among primary school children according to teachers and parent's report: Systematic review and meta-analysis study

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder diagnosed in primary school children's psychiatric outpatient clinics. Many researchers have used the data provided by parents and teachers in diagnosing children with ADHD. The aim of this meta-analysis study is to estimate of prevalence of ADHD through the perspective of teachers and parents in school children in Iran. Overall 16 articles were extracted, by searching the databases: SID, Magiran, GoogleScholar and etc. in the years 1996 to 2011 in Iran. Data were analyzed by random effects model of meta-analysis. Study heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 index. To investigate the relationship between years of study and sample size, meta-regression was used. Data analysis was done with R and Stata software version 11.2. In 16 articles, in a total sample of 14,891 primary school children aged 7 to 12 years, the pooled prevalence ADHD by parents and teachers agreement was 8%, prevalence of ADHD was 20% according to parents and 20% according to teachers. This study shows that the prevalence of ADHD is moderate. This issue indicated the necessity of students’ mental health care as the future of the country, and the need to identify and treatment groups at risk by revealing and responsible institutions.