Biogenetic temperament and character and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Korean children.
BACKGROUND
The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and biogenetic temperament, as assessed by the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) in Korean elementary school children.


METHODS
Five hundred and sixteen elementary school students (254 boys and 262 girls; age range 9-14 years, mean age 11.0 +/- 1.0 years) were studied. The Junior Temperament and Character Inventory, both the self-rating and parent rating scales, the DuPaul ADHD rating scale (ARS-IV) for parents and teachers and the Child Behavior Checklist have been completed by study subjects. Children with high ARS-IV scores (the upper 10th percentile, n = 52) were defined to have ADHD. Fifty-two age- and sex-matched non-ADHD control subjects were selected randomly from a pool of 464 subjects.


RESULTS
Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms correlated positively with Novelty Seeking in both children and parent ratings. These symptoms correlated negatively with Persistence, Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness. Novelty Seeking also had significant correlations with attention problems, delinquent behavior, aggressive behavior, externalizing problems and social problems in the Child Behavior Checklist. The ADHD group (n = 52) had higher scores of Novelty Seeking and lower scores of Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness, compared with the control group.


CONCLUSIONS
There were significant correlations between ADHD symptoms and Novelty Seeking. Current findings suggest that Novelty Seeking and ADHD share biogenetic backgrounds.
Yoo
Hee Jeong
HJ
Department of Psychiatry, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju, South Korea.
Kim
Minjeong
M
Ha
Jee Hyun
JH
Chung
Ain
A
Sim
Minyoung E
ME
Kim
Seog Ju
SJ
Lyoo
In Kyoon
IK
D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002605:Character; D002648:Child; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013694:Temperament