TY - JOUR
T1 - Willingness to use ADHD treatments
T2 - A mixed methods study of perceptions by adolescents, parents, health professionals and teachers
AU - Bussing, Regina
AU - Koro-Ljungberg, Mirka
AU - Noguchi, Kenji
AU - Mason, Dana
AU - Mayerson, Gillian
AU - Garvan, Cynthia W.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the parents, adolescents, teachers and health professionals whose participation made the study possible, and Dolores Albarracin, Ph.D. for consultation on the survey development. This study was supported by grant RO1MH57399 from the National Institute of Mental Health .
PY - 2012/1
Y1 - 2012/1
N2 - Little is known about factors that influence willingness to engage in treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). From 2007 to 2008, in the context of a longitudinal study assessing ADHD detection and service use in the United States, we simultaneously elicited ADHD treatment perceptions from four stakeholder groups: adolescents, parents, health care professionals and teachers. We assessed their willingness to use ADHD interventions and views of potential undesirable effects of two pharmacological (short- and long-acting ADHD medications) and three psychosocial (ADHD education, behavior therapy, and counseling) treatments. In multiple regression analysis, willingness was found to be significantly related to respondent type (lower for adolescents than adults), feeling knowledgeable, and considering treatments acceptable and helpful, but not significantly associated with stigma/embarrassment, respondent race, gender and socioeconomic status. Because conceptual models of undesirable effects are underdeveloped, we used grounded theory method to analyze open-ended survey responses to the question: "What other undesirable effects are you concerned about?" We identified general negative treatment perceptions (dislike, burden, perceived ineffectiveness) and specific undesirable effect expectations (physiological and psychological side effects, stigma and future dependence on drugs or therapies) for pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. In summary, findings indicate significant discrepancies between teens' and adults' willingness to use common ADHD interventions, with low teen willingness for any treatments. Results highlight the need to develop better treatment engagement practices for adolescents with ADHD.
AB - Little is known about factors that influence willingness to engage in treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). From 2007 to 2008, in the context of a longitudinal study assessing ADHD detection and service use in the United States, we simultaneously elicited ADHD treatment perceptions from four stakeholder groups: adolescents, parents, health care professionals and teachers. We assessed their willingness to use ADHD interventions and views of potential undesirable effects of two pharmacological (short- and long-acting ADHD medications) and three psychosocial (ADHD education, behavior therapy, and counseling) treatments. In multiple regression analysis, willingness was found to be significantly related to respondent type (lower for adolescents than adults), feeling knowledgeable, and considering treatments acceptable and helpful, but not significantly associated with stigma/embarrassment, respondent race, gender and socioeconomic status. Because conceptual models of undesirable effects are underdeveloped, we used grounded theory method to analyze open-ended survey responses to the question: "What other undesirable effects are you concerned about?" We identified general negative treatment perceptions (dislike, burden, perceived ineffectiveness) and specific undesirable effect expectations (physiological and psychological side effects, stigma and future dependence on drugs or therapies) for pharmacological and psychosocial treatments. In summary, findings indicate significant discrepancies between teens' and adults' willingness to use common ADHD interventions, with low teen willingness for any treatments. Results highlight the need to develop better treatment engagement practices for adolescents with ADHD.
KW - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
KW - Barriers to evidence-based treatment
KW - Side effect perceptions
KW - Stakeholder perceptions
KW - Treatment willingness
KW - USA
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U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.10.009
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.10.009
M3 - Article
C2 - 22133584
AN - SCOPUS:84455202338
SN - 0277-9536
VL - 74
SP - 92
EP - 100
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
IS - 1
ER -