The effectiveness of mentalization-based treatment on quality of life among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric diagnosis. These children have many problems in different aspects of their life. The aim of present study was to determine the effectiveness of Mentalization-Based Treatment for children (MBT-C) on improvement of the quality of life among school-aged children 6 to 12 with ADHD. A Sample consisting of 60 children with diagnosis of ADHD was selected and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. This experimental study was carried out in mixed method with three groups of interventions including MBT-C, pharmacotherapy with Methylphenidate and combination intervention. Each child participated in 12 to 36 separate sessions of interventions. The results indicated important improvements in all aspects of children's quality of life through MBT-C, especially in combination with methylphenidate. Therefore, this kind of intervention through the capacity of mentalizing in children and their parents can improve the quality of life especially affective functions and emotional regulation.