Adolescent hyperactivity and general psychopathology

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between activity and psychopathology in adolescents. A total of 289 high school students completed the Symptom Check List-90-R (SCL-90-R) and Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) in December 1998. The WURS was used to measure the students’ activity level and the SCL-90-R was used as a measure of general psychopathology. Forty-one students (14.18%) scored higher than 46, the cut-off point for differentiation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from the general population according to Ward’s report, in the WURS (WURS(+)). The WURS(+) students scored significantly higher than the WURS(–) students in all the subscales of SCL-90-R. The prevalence rate of adolescent WURS(+) in this study is 14.18%. This result shows that ADHD adolescents have overlapping symptoms with depression.