Hyperactivity in a sample of Omani schoolboys.

OBJECTIVE

There is a dearth of cross-cultural research on hyperactivity. This article aims to quantify the prevalence of hyperactivity in schoolboys residing in an Arab/Islamic country, Oman.

METHOD: 1,502 Omani schoolboys from eight randomly selected schools representing the urban population of Oman were screened for various indices of hyperactivity and psychosocial and academic functioning using the short version of Conners' Teacher Rating Scale and other ecologically valid assessment measures.

RESULTS

7.8 % of the sample exhibited hyperactivity, which was strongly associated with indices of conduct disorder, poor school performance, and behavioral disorders (such as aggression, stealing, and lying). Sociodemographic variables such as child's rank, number of siblings, and parental education were not significant.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is one of the few quantifications of the prevalence of hyperactivity in the Arabian Gulf region. The high prevalence of hyperactivity found by this study suggests that it is increasingly becoming a global challenge.