Research ArticleOriginal Article
Open Access

Prevalence of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among medical students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Fatimah A. Alsafar, Ali J. Alsaad and Walaa A. Albukhaytan
Saudi Medical Journal April 2024, 45 (4) 397-404; DOI: https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2024.45.4.20230841

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  • Table 1

    - Bio-demographic data of sampled medical students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

    Bio-demographic datan (%)
    Regions
    Dammam city50 (14.1)
    Ahsa governorate201 (56.8)
    Dhahran governorate12 (3.4)
    Khobar governorate17 (4.8)
    Qatif governorate67 (18.9)
    Other governorates7 (2.0)
    Age in years
    <20100 (28.2)
    21-23186 (52.5)
    24-2668 (19.2)
    Gender
    Male105 (29.7)
    Female249 (70.3)
    Monthly income
    <5000 SR39 (11.0)
    5000-10000 Saudi Riyals86 (24.3)
    10000-20000 Saudi Riyals125 (35.3)
    >20000 Saudi Riyals104 (29.4)
    Marital status
    Single295 (83.3)
    Married56 (15.8)
    Divorced/widow3 (0.8)
    Universities
    King Faisal University239 (67.5)
    Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University115 (32.5)
    Academic year
    2.0063 (17.8)
    3.0058 (17.8)
    4.0048 (13.6)
    5.0046 (13.0)
    6.0097 (27.4)
    7.0042 (11.9)
    Academic phase
    Pre-clinical121 (34.2)
    Clinical191 (54.0)
    Internship42 (11.9)
    Have chronic health diseases
    Yes53 (15.0)
    No301 (85.0)
    Have psychiatric disorders
    Yes45 (12.7)
    No309 (87.3)

    Values are presented as numbers and precentages (%).

    • Table 2

      - Adult Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder self-report scale - version 1.1 screener among medical students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

      ASRS-V1.1 itemsNeverRarelySometimesOftenVery often
      How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project once the challenging parts have been carried out?77 (21.8)88 (24.9)119 (33.6)51 (14.4)19 (5.4)
      How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?79 (22.3)96 (27.1)90 (25.4)60 (16.9)29 (8.2)
      How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?94 (26.6)130 (36.7)72 (20.3)41 (11.6)17 (4.8)
      When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?39 (11.0)61 (17.2)100 (28.2)97 (27.4)57 (16.1)
      How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?81 (22.9)69 (19.5)74 (20.9)65 (18.4)65 (18.4)
      How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?150 (42.4)88 (24.9)57 (16.1)38 (10.7)21 (5.9)

      Values are presented as numbers and precentages (%). ASRS-V1.1: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder self-report scale - version 1.1

      • Table 3

        - Adult Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder self-report scale - version 1.1 screener among medical students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

        FactorsADHDTypicalP-values*
        n (%)95% CIn (%)95% CI
        Regions
        City of Dammam20 (40.0)14.3-31.030 (60.0)8.0-15.70.205†
        Ahsa Governorate51 (25.4)45.2-65.3150 (74.6)51.2-63.1
        Dhahran Governorate3 (25.0)0.9-8.49 (75.0)1.7-6.2
        Khobar Governorate4 (23.5)1.5-10.013 (76.5)2.8-8.1
        Qatif Governorate13 (19.4)8.2-22.354 (80.6)16.1-25.8
        Other Governorates1 (14.3)0.1-5.06 (85.7)1.0-4.7
        Universities
        KFU64 (26.8)69.6-59.7175 (73.2)60.9-72.30.625
        IAU28 (24.3)30.4-21.787 (75.7)27.7-39.1
        Academic phase
        Pre-clinical38 (31.4)41.3-31.683 (68.6)26.3-37.50.236
        Clinical45 (23.6)48.9-38.9146 (76.4)49.7-61.6
        Internship9 (21.4)9.8-5.033 (78.6)9.0-17.0
        Age in years
        <2033 (33.0)35.9-26.667 (67.0)20.6-31.10.049‡
        21-2344 (23.7)47.8-37.8142 (76.3)48.1-60.2
        24-2615 (22.1)16.3-9.853 (77.9)15.7-25.4
        Gender
        Male27 (25.7)29.3-20.878 (74.3)24.5-35.50.939
        Female65 (26.1)70.7-60.8184 (73.9)64.5-75.5
        Monthly income
        <5000 SR13 (33.3)14.1-8.226 (66.7)6.7-14.00.464
        5000-10000 SR23 (26.7)25.0-17.063 (73.3)19.2-29.5
        10000-20000 SR27 (21.6)29.3-20.898 (78.4)31.7-43.4
        >20000 SR29 (27.9)31.5-22.775 (72.1)23.4-34.3
        Marital status
        Not-married83 (27.9)90.2-82.9215 (72.1)77.1-86.30.048‡
        Married9 (16.1)9.8-5.047 (83.9)13.7-22.9
        Have chronic health diseases
        Yes14 (26.4)15.2-9.039 (73.6)11.0-19.60.939
        No78 (25.9)84.8-76.4223 (74.1)80.4-89.0
        Have psychiatric disorder
        Yes27 (60.0)29.3-20.818 (40.0)4.3-10.40.001‡
        No65 (21.0)70.7-60.8244 (79.0)89.6-95.7

        Values are presened as numbers and precentages (%) and 95% confidence interval (CI).

        ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, KFU: King Faisal University, IAU: Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, SR: Saudi Riyals

        • ↵* Pearson X2 test.

        • ↵† Exact probability test.

        • ↵‡ A p-value of <0.05 (significant).

      • Table 4

        - Relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and grade point average among medical students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

        GPAADHDTypicalP-value
        n (%)95% CIn (%)95% CI
        <3.58 (8.7)3.3-19.713 (5.0)2.5-9.50.334
        3.5-3.9913 (14.1)8.2-22.331 (11.8)8.3-16.2
        4-571 (77.2)59.2-96.5218 (83.2)71.9-94.9

        Values are presented as numbers and precentages (%) and 95% confidence interval (CI). GPA: grade point average, ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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