Abstract

Evaluation of Emotional Expression of ADHD Children and Adolescents Using the Parent-Rated Expression and Emotion Scale for Children (EESC)

Author(s): Margarete Andreozzi Vaz Pereira Simon

Background: Emotional regulation arises from balancing positive and negative emotions, but children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can show an emotional imbalance. Any times, when they are in drug treatment can present a feature known as affective blunting, mood labile, and the “zombie effect”. Because of these issues is crucial, the physician tests the patient emotional expression. Aim: This study intended assessing the emotional expression of ADHD children and adolescents in drug treatment and to noting the level of emotional oscillation. Further, to analyzing the emotional expressional degree on age range. Method: This study selected randomly 85 patients with ADHD divided into age sub-samples and tested them about emotional expression using the parent-rated Expression and Emotion Scale for Children (EESC). The parents answered to the tool. It compared the patients (n = 85) scores with the scores of controls without the disorder (n = 85) and analyze the scores of overall sample and of the sub-samples through ANOVA statistical test and post hoc test t to analyzing of significance. Results: There was significance of the EESC mean scores of the ADHD overall sample when compared to the controls, what signalized lesser emotional balance. On the age range, the children age below nine years shown a satisfactory emotional balance, over nine years old presented most emotional imbalance and the adolescents over twelve years old exhibited lower emotional imbalance. Conclusions: Emotional expression of ADHD patients has smaller balance than the one of healthy subjects. On age range 9 and 11 years, the emotional balance is worse, but after it enhance. For children under nine years, the emotional expression is more balanced.