Educating and counseling of parents of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: This study surveys the parents' knowledge and attitude about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), barriers to enrolment for treatment, parents' source of information, reason for delay in treatment, and the first person who suggests the diagnosis of ADHD. Method: The subjects of the study were the 119 parents and their children with ADHD. The parents and their children were interviewed and the mothers completed a self-reported questionnaire about ADHD. Results: The knowledge about ADHD was relatively low. Half of them did not agree that ADHD is due to biological and genetic vulnerabilities and causation. Fifty-two percent of all the parents considered ADHD to be the result of parental spoiling. Only 6.2% reported that ADHD relate difficulties would persist for the whole life. About 40% of the respondents considered it as a sign of child independency. The main source of knowledge about ADHD was radio and TV. There were about 1.5 years between the time that the parents were suspected to the ADHD and the time they referred for the first time. The most common reason for the delay was lack of knowledge about where or whom they should refer to. Teachers were the first one who suggested the diagnosis of ADHD in most of the cases. Conclusion: Knowledge about ADHD is low and barriers of referral are not usually overcome. Practice implications: Educating and counseling of the parents should be directed toward emphasizing it as a biological problem, with concerns about its course. Also, targeting of the barriers in delaying the referral is an important issue. Medical personnel, especially GPs should be more informed about ADHD and play more active role in the treatment process. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.