Prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Fourth- and Fifth-Year Medical Students at the Universidad Regional Del Sureste, Oaxaca, Mexico

Purpose: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a high pattern of impulsivity, excessive motor activity, and high levels of inattention. Due to the misunderstanding and misinformation inherent on the part of teachers toward the diagnosis and recognition of this disorder, as well as the repercussions of this problem going unnoticed in the academic, emotional, and social life of university students who suffer from it, we present ADHD as the research topic of this work.

Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, the target population is constituted by fourth- and fifth-year students of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Universidad Regional del Sureste, enrolled in the 2021-2022 cycle. The instrument used was the ADHD Rating Scale IV (ADHD-RS-IV), a questionnaire used to diagnose ADHD in children, but that was later used to diagnose ADHD in adults. Consists of 18 questions, 9 including symptoms of inattention and 9 including symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity.

Results: The prevalence of ADHD in the target population was 7.4%. The most frequent clinical subtype was inattention with 6%, of which 57% were women. 3.41% were detected with hyperactivity, of which 58% were women. Regarding the combined type, a prevalence of 2% was found, of which 43% are women.

Conclusion: A small association was found between educational level and ADHD; this relationship can be explained by the fact that as the educational level advances, higher performance in attentional processes is necessary; therefore, the higher the academic demands, the more likely it is that latent cognitive deficits in students will become evident.