Adult ADHD Symptoms in Syrian War Refugees with Long-Term Health Conditions: A Screening Cross-Sectional Analysis from Jordan
Background/Objectives: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is often overlooked in refugees, especially those displaced by war and diagnosed with chronic issues such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. We sought to provide a preliminary screening to align with ADHD screening and to examine its related demographic and clinical factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited Syrian refugees residing in Jordan. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale-V1.1 (ASRS) was employed to provide a preliminary screening of “Consistency with ADHD screening”. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors associated with the “Consistency with ADHD screening”. Results: Data analysis included 345 patients; 179 (51.9%) were females. β-Blockers were used in 151 (43.8%), metformin in 134 (38.8%), and sulfonylurea in 86 (24.9%). In the study, 158 participants (45.8%) reported very consistent results related to ADHD. We used multivariate binary logistic regression, which showed that in our groups that received metformin (OR of 2.08, 95% CI 1.32–3.27, p = 0.001) and insulin (OR of 2.25, 95% CI 1.00–5.04, p = 0.04), we observed a positive association with ADHD symptoms. Also, we noted that high school education was negatively associated with the results of the ADHD screen (OR of 0.58, 95% CI of 0.36–0.94, p = 0.02). Conclusions: This preliminary study guides future steps in addressing ADHD symptoms in war-displaced refugees; proper diabetes management and education seem to be important factors.
Authors
- Mariam Al-Ameri
- Alaa A. A. Aljabali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9519-6338)
- Sireen Abdul Rahim Shilbayeh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5020-6838)
- Omar Gammoh
Institutions
- Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (SA)
- Yarmouk University (JO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Healthcare
- Published
- 2026-04-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14091174
- Primary Topic
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University