RESEARCH ARTICLE
A Comparison between Children with ADHD and Children with Epilepsy in Self-Esteem and Parental Stress Level
Antonella Gagliano 1, *, #, Marco Lamberti 1, 2, *, #, Rosamaria Siracusano 1, Massimo Ciuffo 1, Maria Boncoddo 1, Roberta Maggio 1, Simona Rosina 1, Clemente Cedro 3, Eva Germanò 1
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2014Volume: 10
First Page: 176
Last Page: 183
Publisher ID: CPEMH-10-176
DOI: 10.2174/1745017901410010176
Article History:
Received Date: 30/6/2014Revision Received Date: 8/8/2014
Acceptance Date: 9/11/2014
Electronic publication date: 24 /12/2014
Collection year: 2014

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently associated with negative psychological outcomes. This study explores the relationship between self-esteem, ADHD symptoms and parental stress. It compares children with ADHD, children with epilepsy (E) and typical developmental controls (TD). Participants included 65 children (aged 9-12 yrs) and their parents. The assessment was conducted by Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale (MSCS), Parent Stress Index (PSI) and Conners' Parent Rating Scales–Revised. Significant differences were found in Social, Competence and Academic areas of self-esteem between children with ADHD, with E and TD. Moreover, parents of children with ADHD showed a higher overall stress than both other groups. In conclusion, it seems important to evaluate the psychological aspects of ADHD con-dition, both in children and in parents, in order to suggest an individual multimodal treatment.