Dados do Trabalho

Título

GROUP-BASED BEHAVIOR INTERVENTION FOCUSED ON ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD) SYMPTOMS FOR SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN IN A LOW-AND-MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRY

Introdução

Children with ADHD have symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, characterized by deficits and behavioral excess that interfere with overall functioning. The behavioral approach consists of promoting and maintaining behaviors that are incompatible with those that characterize the disorder. In a group context the contingencies can be intuitively important to facilitate the acquisition of behaviors in ADHD cases: rule-based control; self control; attention and social repertoire. Group psychotherapy is relevant as it provides direct exposure to peer relationships, opportunities to solve problems, control impulses and train social skills in a protected context mediated by therapists.

Objetivo

This study aimed to analyze the feasibility of a group-based behavioral intervention program for children with ADHD, aged 7 to 13.

Método

The feasibility components tested were: treatment adherence and intervention effects. The procedure used to assess the effects of the intervention consisted of analyzing the content of pre- and post-intervention interviews with parents and children and analyzing the Five Digit Teste (FDT) and Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) instruments.

Resultados e Conclusões

This is a pilot study conducted at a public hospital that offers specialized care in neuropediatrics and child and adolescent psychiatry. Twelve group-based behavioral therapy sessions were carried out with 10 children between 8 and 13 years old. The results indicated an improvement in the social skills repertoires, although some difficulties remained. It was noticed that the level of education and presence of mental disorder of the main caregiver are important variables to determine adherence to treatment, as well as the severity of symptoms of ADHD, presence of comorbid diagnoses and use or not methylphenidate were important variables of adherence in children. The factors connected to feasibility suggest that this intervention can be effective for the treatment of ADHD in a low/middle income country as Brazil, considering the population, the socioeconomic characteristics and the therapeutic resources used. It is important to point out that this is intended to be a pilot study, and it is necessary, for better results, to carry out a randomized clinical trial.

Palavras Chave

ADHD, group-based, behavioral intervention, behavioral therapy, social skills, school aged children

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Fonte de Fomento (se houver)

CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior