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Estimated Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a Sample of Panamanian School-Aged Children

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Abstract

The present study investigated the prevalence of ADHD in a school sample of children ages 6–11 years in the city of Panama. The assessment battery included the Conners’ Parent and Teacher Rating Scales, the Structured Developmental History of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-2), and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III). The prevalence of ADHD (N = 229) was 7.4%, with an estimate of 1.8% for the predominantly inattentive subtype, 3.1% for the predominantly hyperactive/impulsive subtype, and 2.6% for the combined subtype. The prevalence rate of ADHD is relatively low in Panama compared to those reported for samples in neighboring countries. Moreover, ADHD children were unlikely to have been identified or referred to psychological or special education assessments. Our findings confirm that ADHD is overlooked in some cultures and that a significant number of children with ADHD-related impairments are not receiving optimal intervention.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT) of Panama (grant FID08-065 awarded to GBB, EYS and SV). We thank the following people for contributing their expertise and collaborative support: J. Latorraca, M. Caicedo, Y. Rivera, A. Tapia, M. Wong, D. González, G. Puga, A. de Ponce, J. Juarez, A. Btesh, S. Escobar, J. Lituma, L. López, I. Vergara, G. Augusto, A. Sánchez, E. González, L. Herrera, J. Marciaga, J. Prosperi, A. de los Santos, K. Echeverri, P. Serracín de Franco, and school teachers and administrators. We thank also two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clínica Neuropsicológica, Panamá, República de Panamá

    Emelyn Y. Sánchez & Silvia Velarde

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta Tecnología (INDICASAT AIP), Cognición, Cerebro y Conducta, Ciudad del Saber #219, Apartado Postal 0843-01103, Panamá, República de Panamá

    Gabrielle B. Britton

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  1. Emelyn Y. Sánchez
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  2. Silvia Velarde
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  3. Gabrielle B. Britton
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Correspondence to Gabrielle B. Britton.

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Sánchez, E.Y., Velarde, S. & Britton, G.B. Estimated Prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in a Sample of Panamanian School-Aged Children. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 42, 243–255 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-010-0213-2

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