[Correlation of anxiety in parents and children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder].

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder in children; its coexistence with anxiety in children and their parents increases their social, family, and academic problems.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and correlation of anxiety disorder in pediatric patients with ADHD and their parents.

Material And Methods: Analytical, observational study conducted in a tertiary-level hospital in Puebla, Mexico, in patients aged 8 to 15 years with a diagnosis of ADHD and their parents; those with an additional psychiatric diagnosis were excluded. All parents signed informed consent, and children aged 8 to 15 years signed a letter of informed assent. The Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-Second Edition (RCMAS-2) was administered to the patients and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale to the parents. Data analysis was performed with descriptive statistics and phi coefficient.

Results: 150 patients and their parents were recruited. The children were predominantly male, and the ADHD subtype was mixed (64.7%). 100% reported pharmacological treatment and 20.7% were combined with psychotherapy. 65% of children registered some type of anxiety with a phi correlation of 0.337 (p < 0.001) of this disorder between children and parents.

Conclusions: Pediatric patients diagnosed with ADHD often experience anxiety as a comorbidity, which is correlated with anxiety in their parents.