Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

• Behrouz Behrouz ¹
• Shahram Aliabadi ²
• Fariba Yazdkhasti ³
• Saeed Veisi ⁴

¹ MSc Student, Department of Psychology, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

² PhD Student, Department of Psychology, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Allame Tabatabaie University, Tehran, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

⁴ MSc Student, Department of Psychology, School of Economics and Social Sciences, BuAli Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Various problems and maladjustments of children suffering from attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) necessitate paying more attention to the disorder. The aim of the present study was to compare the emotional intelligence and attachment style of children with ADHD with those of normal peers.Materials and Methods: In this causal-comparative study, 1124 healthy students from 11 guidance schools of Kermanshah, Iran and 60 subjects from a group of 120 previously identified students with ADHD were randomly selected. All participants were then asked to complete Schutt's emotional intelligence questionnaires and Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) (Parker et. al, 1979). Data were statistically analyzed using t test.Results: The results showed that concerning emotional intelligence subscales, regulating and expressing emotions in normal children and expressing and assessing other’s emotions in those with ADHD had higher mean score than the other components. Normal students earned significantly higher mean scores than children with ADHD regarding all components of emotional intelligence (P < 0.01). Moreover, the mean scores of care with mother’s and with father’s affection were significantly higher in normal students than in students with ADHD (P < 0.01). In addition, the mean score of hyperactive students were generally and significantly higher than that of normal students with regard to the areas of mother’s control, father’s control, and attachment style (P < 0.01).Conclusion: The findings proved that there is a significant difference among children with ADHD and normal children in terms of various components of emotional intelligence. The applications of the results of the present study and its limitations as well as suggestions for further research have also been discussed.Keywords: Emotional intelligence, Attachment style, Attention deficit/hyperactivity