Social skills and participation in children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A comparative cross-sectional study based on maternal perspectives

Abstract

Introduction:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) significantly impacts children’s social skills and participation, affecting their daily functioning.

Objectives:

This study aimed to compare social skills and participation of children with ADHD to those of typically developing peers, from maternal perspective.

Methods:

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted with 103 mothers (52 mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD recruited from a child and adolescent psychiatry clinic and 51 mothers of typically developing children recruited using community-based snowball sampling). Groups were matched and comparable in key sociodemographic variables (p > 0.05). Data were collected using the Child and Adolescent Participation Scale (CASP) and Social Skills Questionnaire (SSQ).

Results:

Children with ADHD had significantly lower social skills (SSQ total) and participation (CASP total) scores than the control group (both p < 0.001; r = 0.86 and r = 0.86, respectively). Deficits were noted across all SSQ subdomains. Lower participation was observed in home, school, and home–community domains, while no significant difference was found in neighborhood and community participation (p = 0.506).

Conclusions:

Maternal perspectives provide valuable real-world insights into the social and participation challenges experienced by children with ADHD. The findings suggest that family-centered occupational therapy approaches may be relevant for supporting social competence and participation in everyday occupations.