PERCEPTION OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS ON THE EXPRESSION OF EMOTION IN CHILDREN MEDICATED WITH METHYLPHENIDATE FROM A CULTURAL-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses and methylphenidate use has raised questions regarding treatment effects beyond core symptoms. This study aimed to examine emotional expression in children and adolescents with ADHD before and during 30 days of methylphenidate treatment, based on the perceptions of parents/caregivers and teachers. Data were collected using the Expression and Emotion Scale for Children with ADHD (EESC) and analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0, using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) for longitudinal analysis. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in emotional lability over the treatment period, as reported by both groups, indicating improvements in emotional expression and regulation. These findings suggest that methylphenidate may contribute to improved emotional self-regulation. From a cultural-historical perspective, such improvement may create more favorable conditions for children’s participation in social interactions, learning, and mediated activities, without attributing the development of higher psychological functions to pharmacological treatment alone. The simultaneous use of the EESC with multiple informants and the application of GEE represent methodological strengths of the study. In conclusion, methylphenidate treatment may be associated with relevant improvements in emotional functioning; however, its use should be carefully considered within a multimodal approach, rather than interpreted as support for the medicalization of childhood.