title: Atomoxetine improves patient and family coping in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in Swedish children and adolescents.
abstract: This 10-week study assessed the efficacy of atomoxetine in combination with psychoeducation compared to placebo and psychoeducation in the improvement of Quality of Life in Swedish stimulant-naive children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A total of 99 patients were treated with atomoxetine (49 patients) or placebo (50 patients) for 10 weeks and assessed regarding broader areas of functioning using the Quality of Life measures Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE), Family Strain Index [FSI; equivalent to the Family Burden of Illness Module used in the study], Appraisal of Stress in Child-Rearing (ASCR), Five to fifteen (FTF), "I think I am" ("Jag tycker jag är"), and Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) before and after the active treatment phase. Simultaneously, the patients' parents participated in a 4-session psychoeducation program. A statistically significant difference in favor of atomoxetine was seen in the improvement from baseline to study endpoint for the CHIP-CE domains "Achievement" and "Risk avoidance", for the FSI total score, for the ASCR section (I) domain "Child as a burden", for all FTF domains except for "Language and Speech", and for the CDRS-R total score. No difference between treatment groups was observed in the patient-assessed evaluation of self-esteem using the "I think I am" scale. Atomoxetine combined with psychoeducation had a positive effect on various everyday coping abilities of the patients as well as their families during 10 weeks of treatment, whereas the patients' self-image and the parents' image of the climate in the family were not significantly improved.
authors.affiliation: Eli Lilly Sweden AB, Box 721, 169 27 Solna, Sweden. svanborg_par@lilly.com
authors.forename: Pär
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Svanborg
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thernlund
authors.forename: Per A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Gustafsson
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hägglöf
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schacht
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kadesjö
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000069445:Atomoxetine Hydrochloride; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002668:Child Rearing; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004493:Education; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011437:Propylamines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D011437:Propylamines; D000069445:Atomoxetine Hydrochloride