Knowledge of Parents Working in Healthcare Settings Toward Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Characteristics of the Participants (N = 373)

Item	Categories	N	%
Gender	Male	82	21.9
	Female	291	77.8
Number of children
	1	121	32.1
	2	76	20.3
	3	85	22.7
	4	46	12.3
	5	45	12.0
Working	Health center	50	13.4
	Government hospital.	84	22.5
	Private hospital.	98	26.2
	Private clinic.	39	10.4
	Military medical services.	15	4.0
	University hospital.	87	23.3
Hear about ADHD	No	48	12.8
	Yes	325	86.9
Who told you about ADHD?	Study.	178	47.6
	Friend.	67	17.9
	Visual or audio media.	29	7.8
	Internet.	10	2.7
	Social media.	64	17.1
	Others	4	1.1
Having a chronic disease?	No	338	90.4
	Yes	35	9.4
Having experience with ADHD?	No	289	77.3
	Yes	84	22.5
Diagnosed with ADHD?	No	364	97.3
	Yes	9	2.4
Who makes the diagnosis?	Pediatrician.	60	16.0
	Psychologist.	29	7.8
	General doctor	24	6.4
	Others	5	1.3
Having a mental disorder?	No	329	88.0
	Yes	44	11.8
Type of mental disorder	Depression.	31	8.3
	Bipolar depression.	4	1.1
	Schizophrenia;	5	1.3
	Anxiety disorder;	25	6.7
	Other	64	17.1
Asking for help	No	311	83.2
	Yes	62	16.6
Who is asking for help to treat ADHD?	Counseling psychologist.	19	5.1
	Psychologist.	29	7.8
	General doctor.	3	0.8
	Sheikh or clergyman.	4	1.1
	A family member.	17	4.5
	Others	42	11.2
Income (JD)	Less than 400	52	13.9
	400 to 600	82	21.9
	600 to 800	83	22.2
	800 to 1000	91	24.3
	More than 1000	65	17.4
Living area	City	262	70.1
	Village	111	29.7
Nationality	Jordanian	358	95.7
	Others	15	4.0
Education	Associate	59	15.8
	Bachelor	235	62.8
	Higher degree	79	21.1

Table 2 Description of the Response of the Parents Who Working as HCWs Toward ADHD Knowledge

Items	Incorrect		Correct
	Count	Row n%	Count	Row n%
1. Most estimates suggest that ADHD occurs in approximately 15% of school age children.	295	79.5%	75	20.2%
2. Current research suggests that ADHD is largely the result of ineffective parenting skills.	223	59.9%	149	40.1%
3. ADHD children are frequently distracted by extraneous stimuli.	86	23.2%	285	76.8%
4. ADHD children are typically more compliant with their fathers than with their mothers.	281	76.4%	87	23.6%
5. To be diagnosed with ADHD, the child’s symptoms must have been present before age 7.	213	57.7%	156	42.3%
6. ADHD is more common in the 1st degree biological relatives (ie, Mother, father) of children with ADHD than in the general population.	230	62.0%	141	38.0%
7. One symptom of ADHD children is that they have been physically cruel to other people.	270	72.8%	101	27.2%
8. Antidepressant drugs have been effective in reducing symptoms for many ADHD children.	251	68.0%	118	32.0%
9. ADHD children often fidget or squirm in their seats.	97	26.3%	272	73.7%
10. Parent and HCW training in managing an ADHD child are generally effective when combined with medication treatment.	109	29.5%	260	70.5%
11. It is common for ADHD children to have an inflated sense of self-esteem or grandiosity.	277	74.7%	94	25.3%
12. When treatment of an ADHD child is terminated, it is rare for the child’s symptoms to return.	231	62.4%	139	37.6%
13. It is possible for an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD.	225	61.3%	142	38.7%
14. ADHD children often have a history of stealing or destroying other people’s things.	147	39.8%	1	0.3%
15. Side effects of stimulant drugs used for treatment of ADHD may include mild insomnia and appetite reduction.	188	51.5%	177	48.5%
16. Current wisdom about ADHD suggests two clusters of symptoms: one of inattention and another consisting of hyperactivity/impulsivity.	142	38.6%	226	61.4%
17. Symptoms of depression are found more frequently in ADHD children than in non-ADHD children.	227	61.7%	141	38.3%
18. Individual psychotherapy is usually sufficient for the treatment of most ADHD children.	236	64.1%	132	35.9%
19. Most ADHD children “outgrow” their symptoms by the onset of puberty and subsequently function normally in adulthood.	296	80.7%	71	19.3%
20. In severe cases of ADHD, medication is often used before other behavior modification techniques are attempted.	161	43.8%	207	56.3%
21. To be diagnosed as ADHD, a child must exhibit relevant symptoms in two or more settings (eg, home, school).	152	41.4%	215	58.6%
22. If an ADHD child can demonstrate sustained attention to video games or tv for over an hour, that child is also able to sustain attention for at least an hour of class or homework.	291	78.9%	78	21.1%
23. Reducing dietary intake of sugar or food additives is generally effective in reducing the symptoms of ADHD.	334	91.3%	32	8.7%
24. A diagnosis of ADHD by itself makes a child eligible for placement in special education.	323	88.0%	44	12.0%
25. Stimulant drugs are the most common type of drug used to treat children with ADHD	269	73.3%	98	26.7%
26. ADHD children often have difficulties organizing tasks and activities.	131	35.7%	236	64.3%
27. ADHD children generally experience more problems in novel situations than in familiar situations.	316	86.6%	49	13.4%
28. There are specific physical features which can be identified by medical doctors (eg, Pediatrician) in making a definitive diagnosis of ADHD.	292	78.9%	78	21.1%
29. In school age children, the prevalence of ADHD in males and females is equivalent.	265	71.8%	104	28.2%
30. In incredibly young children (less than 4 years old), the problem behaviors of ADHD children (eg, Hyperactivity, inattention) are distinctly different from age-appropriate behaviors of non-ADHD children.	319	87.4%	46	12.6%
31. Children with ADHD are more distinguishable from normal children in a classroom setting than in a free play situation.	158	43.1%	209	56.9%
32. Most ADHD children evidence some degree of poor school performance in the school years.	160	43.7%	206	56.3%
33. Symptoms of ADHD are often seen in non-ADHD children who come from inadequate and chaotic home environments.	199	54.5%	166	45.5%
34. Behavioral/psychological interventions for children with ADHD focus primarily on the child’s problems with inattention.	319	87.2%	47	12.8%
35. Electroconvulsive therapy (ie, Shock treatment) has been found to be an effective treatment for severe cases of ADHD.	252	68.9%	114	31.1%
36. Treatments for ADHD which focus primarily on punishment have been found to be the most effective in reducing the symptoms of ADHD.	204	55.9%	161	44.1%
37. Research has shown that prolonged use of stimulant medications leads to increased addiction (ie, drug, alcohol) in adulthood.	312	85.2%	54	14.8%
38. If a child responds to stimulant medications (eg, ritalin), then they probably have ADHD.	309	85.1%	54	14.9%
39. Children with ADHD generally display an inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.	318	87.1%	47	12.9%

Note: This instrument was adopted from original author after getting the permission to use.

Table 3 Predictors of Knowledge Regarding ADHD Among Parents Who Working as HCWs

Model	Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	Sig.
	B	Std. Error	Beta
(Constant)	−0.948	5.057		−0.188	0.851
Age (years)	0.127	0.091	0.136	1.402	0.162
Gender (female vs male	−0.209	0.957	−0.011	−0.219	0.827
Experience (years)	−0.179	0.091	−0.169	−1.967	0.050
Social status (single, married, widow)	−1.336	0.930	−0.092	−1.436	0.152
Working	−0.483	0.242	−0.105	−2.001	0.046
Hear about ADHD	6.031	1.221	0.251	4.939	0.000
Chronic?	−3.164	1.360	−0.117	−2.326	0.021
Experience with ADHD?	3.769	0.985	0.199	3.826	0.000
Having a mental problem?	1.972	1.259	0.081	1.566	0.118
Asking for help?	−0.001	1.087	0.000	−0.001	0.999
Income (JD)	0.253	0.325	0.042	0.777	0.438
Living (City vs village)	−0.540	0.873	−0.031	−0.619	0.536
Nationality (Jordanian vs others)	1.625	1.969	0.040	0.825	0.410
Education	0.471	0.671	0.036	0.702	0.483