Parental explanatory models of ADHD: gender and cultural variations.
BACKGROUND
This study describes parents' explanatory models of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examines model variation by child characteristics.


METHODS
Children with ADHD (N = 182) were identified from a school district population of elementary school students. A reliable coding system was developed for parental responses obtained in ethnographic interviews in order to convert qualitative into numerical data for quantitative analysis.


RESULTS
African-American parents were less likely to connect the school system to ADHD problem identification, expressed fewer worries about ADHD-related school problems, and voiced fewer preferences for school interventions than Caucasian parents, pointing to a potential disconnect with the school system.


CONCLUSIONS
More African-American than Caucasian parents were unsure about potential causes of and treatments for ADHD, indicating a need for culturally appropriate parent education approaches.
Bussing
Regina
R
Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Box 100234 UFHC, Gainesville, FL 32610-0234, USA. rbussing@psychiatry.ufl.edu
Gary
Faye A
FA
Mills
Terry L
TL
Garvan
Cynthia Wilson
CW
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D014481:United States