Prevalence and Comorbidity of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder Among Teacher Candidate University Students

Abstract: To investigate prevalence and comorbidity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) in a Turkish community sample of young adult population. University students aged 21-24 years completed a socio-demographic form developed by the study team; Adult ADD/ ADHD DSM IV- Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale and Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Subjects, who scored above the cut off points in each scales, were invited for a diagnostic interview conducted by experienced psychiatrists using DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and SAD. 30 percent (152/494) of all participants had a score above of the cutoff point in screening scales and 60 percent of them attended clinical interview. 38 percent (35/92) of those who had clinical interview received diagnoses of ADHD and/or SAD. Prevalence of ADHD and SAD among the whole sample was 3.23% for ADHD (16/494) and 4.45% for SAD (22/494), whilst 0.6 % (3/494) had comorbid ADHD and SAD. Findings presented here support the existing literature that SAD and ADHD are relatively common comorbidities. Rejection of professional help offered to the teacher candidates with Social Anxiety Disorder need further analysis. Their fear of stigmatization and concerns about the impact of a formal diagnosis and having treatment on their professional career needs to be addressed in a culture-specific approach. Key Words: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Social Phobia, Comorbidity, Prevalence