Barriers to the identification of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
In most countries, the majority of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are undiagnosed. In the United Kingdom, a major barrier to accessing specialist services is the limited recognition of disorders by general practitioners. However, it is unclear whether there are also barriers at other stages of the help-seeking process. For children with ADHD, this study aims to examine the correlates of the different stages of help-seeking.

METHOD:
Children with ADHD (n = 232) were identified from the 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey. Rates and correlates of parental recognition of child mental health problems and contact with services for these problems were examined. Children who had used particular types of services were compared with those who had not.

RESULTS:
Most (80%) parents of children with ADHD recognise that their child has a problem although few (35%) construe this in terms of hyperactivity. The impact of the symptoms on key adults, rather than child factors, best predicted parental recognition of problems. Most parents had been in contact with education-based professionals but few had consulted primary care for these problems or had sought help from relevant specialist health services. Parental recognition of problems and perceived burden, rather than child factors, were the main correlates of contact with services. Parental views that their child has hyperactivity were associated with greater severity of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS:
The main barrier to care for ADHD is the limited presentation of these problems to primary care. The majority of parents discuss their concerns with professionals based in education services. There is a need for parental education about ADHD and for health service input to support education professionals in their contact with concerned parents.

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Author information

Author/s: Sayal, Kapil (K); Goodman, Robert (R); Ford, Tamsin (T);

Affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK. k.sayal(-atsign-)iop.kcl.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (J Child Psychol Psychiatry), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Jul; vol 47 (issue 7) : pp 744-50

Dates: Created 2006/06/22; Completed 2006/11/09;

PMID: 16790009, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - epidemiology
Child
Child, Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis, Differential
Female

Female
Humans
Male
Mass Screening - methods
Mental Health Services - utilization
Parents
Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data

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