Objective:The question of whether attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a discrete category or a continuous dimension remains clinically relevant. We report the first examination of this question from the viewpoint of the relationship between ADHD traits and psychosocial quality of life (QoL), and whether the level of QoL declines markedly around a certain high ADHD trait range suggestive of a categorical boundary.Methods:Parents/caregivers of 1,967 schoolchildren aged 6 to 11 from the general population completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory and the ADHD-Rating Scale IV. Piecewise linear and non-linear regression analyses were performed.Results:No evidence for a non-linear association or an abrupt change in the rate of decrease in QoL was observed in the high end of the ADHD traits continuum. Instead, the relationship was consistent with linearity.Conclusion:Psychosocial QoL gradually declines in a linear manner as ADHD trait levels increase providing further support for a dimensional model.

中文翻译：

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注意力缺陷/多动症 (ADHD) 是一个维度还是一个类别？ADHD 特征与社会心理生活质量之间的关系告诉我们什么？

目的：注意力缺陷/多动障碍（ADHD）是一个离散类别还是一个连续维度的问题仍然具有临床相关性。我们从 ADHD 特征与心理社会生活质量 (QoL) 之间的关系以及 QoL 水平是否在暗示分类边界的某个高 ADHD 特征范围内显着下降的角度报告了对该问题的首次检验。方法：家长/来自普通人群的 1,967 名 6 至 11 岁学童的照顾者完成了儿科生活质量量表和 ADHD 评级量表 IV。进行分段线性和非线性回归分析。结果：在 ADHD 特征连续体的高端，没有观察到非线性关联或生活质量下降率突然变化的证据。相反，这种关系符合线性关系。结论：随着 ADHD 特质水平的增加，心理社会生活质量以线性方式逐渐下降，为维度模型提供了进一步的支持。