title: Parental preferences and goals regarding ADHD treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the association between parents' attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment preferences and goals and treatment initiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents/guardians of children aged 6 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD in the past 18 months and not currently receiving combined treatment (both medication and behavior therapy [BT]) were recruited from 8 primary care sites and an ADHD treatment center. Parents completed the ADHD Preference and Goal Instrument, a validated measure, and reported treatment receipt at 6 months. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association of baseline preferences and goals with treatment initiation. Using linear regression, we compared the change in preferences and goals over 6 months for children who initiated treatment versus others.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 148 parents/guardians. Baseline medication and BT preference were associated with treatment initiation (odds ratio [OR]: 2.6 [95% confidence interval (CI):1.2-5.5] and 2.2 [95% CI: 1.0-5.1], respectively). The goal of academic achievement was associated with medication initiation (OR: 2.1 [95% CI: 1.3-3.4]) and the goal of behavioral compliance with initiation of BT (OR: 1.6 [95% CI: 1.1-2.4]). At 6 months, parents whose children initiated medication or BT compared with others had decreased academic and behavioral goals, suggesting their goals were attained. However, only those initiating BT had diminished interpersonal relationship goals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parental treatment preferences were associated with treatment initiation, and those with distinct goals selected different treatments. Results support the formal measurement of preferences and goals in practice as prioritized in recent national guidelines for ADHD management.
authors.affiliation: MSCE, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market Street, Room 1546, Philadelphia, PA 19104. fiks@email.chop.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Fiks
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayne
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Debartolo
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Power
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Guevara
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D057240:Patient Preference; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: ADHD; shared decision-making