title: Attitudes about stimulant medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among African American families in an inner city community.
abstract: Limited information exists on views among African American families living in low-income, inner-city communities regarding the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parents of children treated for ADHD in an urban primary care setting were recruited to complete a survey to assess attitudes toward stimulant medications. Although most (71%) were initially hesitant to use stimulants based on what they heard in the lay press, 63% would recommend stimulant medication to a relative/friend whose child had ADHD. Approximately 17% believed stimulants led to drug abuse, 21% preferred counseling over medication, 21% felt medications had bad side effects, and 23% believed that too many children were medicated for ADHD. Most (90%) felt the medication was safe if a physician recommended it. Views did not differ between participants whose child had or had not received counseling. Additional studies are needed to clarify whether such views impact treatment choices and health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. sdosrei1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: dosReis
authors.forename: Arlene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Butz
authors.forename: Paul H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lipkin
authors.forename: Julia S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Anixt
authors.forename: Courtney L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chernoff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015142:Baltimore; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants