Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many aspects of a child’s life. It impacts not only on the child, but also on parents and siblings, causing disturbances to family functioning. Objective: To evaluate family functioning in the parents of children with ADHD. Methods: Families of children with ADHD and those of comparison controls were administered 2 forms of family functioning questionnaire; the Chulalongkorn Family Inventory (CFI) and general function scale from the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Both are self-report questionnaires designed to measure how families interact, communicate, and work together. Results: The sample consisted of 44 families of children with ADHD and 45 control families. The mean age of the children was 10.84±2.33 years in the ADHD group and 10.38±2.61 years in the control group. The sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly different between both groups. The families of children with ADHD scored higher at the level of unhealthy functioning than those of controls on the general function scale of the FAD. Whereas, the CFI scores were lower in the families of children with ADHD, reflecting poorer function, especially on the problem solving scale. Conclusion: The family functioning scores of ADHD families were less healthy than those of the control group. Family assessment should be included in the management of ADHD.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects many aspects of a child’s life. It impacts not only on the child, but also on parents and siblings, causing disturbances to family functioning. Objective: To evaluate family functioning in the parents of children with ADHD. Methods: Families of children with ADHD and those of comparison controls were administered 2 forms of family functioning questionnaire; the Chulalongkorn Family Inventory (CFI) and general function scale from the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Both are self-report questionnaires designed to measure how families interact, communicate, and work together. Results: The sample consisted of 44 families of children with ADHD and 45 control families. The mean age of the children was 10.84±2.33 years in the ADHD group and 10.38±2.61 years in the control group. The sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly different between both groups. The families of children with ADHD scored higher at the level of unhealthy functioning than those of controls on the general function scale of the FAD. Whereas, the CFI scores were lower in the families of children with ADHD, reflecting poorer function, especially on the problem solving scale. Conclusion: The family functioning scores of ADHD families were less healthy than those of the control group. Family assessment should be included in the management of ADHD.

Background & Objectives: Febrile seizures are the most common convulsive disorder in children under 5 years old. Among these children, some develop recurrent febrile seizures. The objective of this study was to describe clinical characteristics of children with febrile seizures and to identify risk factors for developing recurrent seizures. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2004 to December 2013 in Chiang Mai University Hospital. Infants and children between 6 months and 5 years of age who were diagnosed with febrile seizures were included in this study. Clinical characteristics of children and all factors associated with seizure recurrence were extensively reviewed using electronic medical records. Results: There were 335 cases included for analysis. The mean age at onset of febrile seizures was 1.85 ± 0.95 years; 64.78 % were males. Among 261 cases who presented with first episode of febrile seizures, 52 cases (19.92%) developed recurrent febrile seizures. Respiratory tract infections were the most frequent etiology of febrile illnesses. Younger age at onset and family history of febrile seizures were statistically significant predictors of developing recurrent febrile seizures (p = <0.001 and 0.02, respectively). After adjusting the confounding variables, similar findings were found from the multiple logistic regression analysis (p = 0.003 and 0.01 respectively). Conclusion: In this study, younger age at onset of first febrile seizure and family history of febrile seizures were found to increase the risk of the recurrence of febrile seizures.
Seizures, Febrile

Objectives: Alcohol use in adolescents is one of the major health problems in many countries.Understanding the extent of the problem andrelated health risk behaviors is necessary to help prevent the associated behaviors andprovide appropriate intervention. This study aimed to identify alcohol use in adolescents and its correlation with others health risk behaviors. Methods: A total of 4372 participants, aged 13-18 years old were enrolled. The data were collected using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling methods from secondary and vocational schools. A web-based questionnaire using the Thai Youth Risk Behavior Survey, modified from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was administered. Results: The prevalence of lifetime alcohol exposure was 28.32%, of which 815 participants (18.64%) reported current alcohol use. Adolescents with older age (odds ratio, OR=4.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.15-5.87), male gender (OR = 2.63, 95% CI = 2.23-3.09), and attendance at vocational schools (OR=7.87, 95% CI = 6.66-9.31) were associated with current alcohol use. When adjusted for confounding variables, health risk behaviors including interpersonal violence, cyber bullying, risky sexual behaviors, tobacco and marijuana use, and suicidal behaviors were associated with current alcohol use from the multiple logistic regression (p<0.001). Conclusions: This study shows that a number of adolescents in Northern Thailand are currently using alcohol, and this can influence other health risk behaviors. Efforts to prevent and control alcohol use needs to focus on high-risk groups and among those currently using alcohol.