Quality of life improvement in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder reduces family's strain: A structural equation model approach.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study is to analyse how the quality of life of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impacts the relationship between disease severity and family burden. METHOD: The data collected by a longitudinal, observational study involving 1478 children with ADHD residing in 10 European countries (aged 6 to 18 years) were analysed to evaluate the relationships between ADHD severity, the children's quality of life and family burden. RESULTS: The disorder's severity directly and indirectly affected the children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and family burden. The degree of family burden was modulated by the children's HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: One of the primary causes of the stress experienced by parents of children with ADHD is their perception of the child's reduced HRQoL and not the symptom severity itself. Efforts to minimize symptom severity cannot alone reduce family burden.