Relationship among environmental and demographic variables and teacher-rated hyperactivity

This study assessed the role of environmental and demographic factors in the occurrence of teacher-rated hyperactivity. The subject group consisted of 79 hyperactive and 81 nonhyperactive children ranging from 5 to 12 years of age. Parents of the subjects were interviewed to obtain information regarding the environmental and demographic factors of sex, race, birth order, number of siblings, frequency of change of residence, income level, mother's age, father's age, educational level of mother, educational level of father, parents' marital status, and the method of child discipline used in the home. Comparison between the hyperactive and nonhyperactive groups suggested nonsignificant differences with the exception of sex (p<.001), in which the ratio of hyperactive males to hyperactive females was 51.The authors are grateful to Dr. Bruce Dunn for his critical suggestions.