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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0070

Knowledge and attitudes regarding ADHD as factors explaining gaps in diagnosis and treatment: A case study from Israel

KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS ADHD AS EXPLANATORY FACTORS FOR GAPS IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: A CASE STUDY FROM ISRAEL

Differences in ADHD diagnosis and treatment are explained not by parental knowledge, but by parental educational attainment and attitudes toward medication.

The aim was to examine, within the Knowledge-Attitudes-Practices (KAP) framework, whether disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could be explained by parental knowledge and attitudes; although ADHD prevalence in Israel is similar among Arab and Jewish children, substantial differences in diagnosis and medication treatment persist. In a cross-sectional study, data were collected between October 2021 and May 2022 from 557 Arab and Jewish parents of children aged 7–10 years and 60 classroom teachers in northern Israel. ADHD was assessed using the ADHD Rating Scale-V, completed independently by parents and teachers; parents also completed questionnaires assessing their ADHD knowledge, attitudes, and their children's clinical diagnosis and medication treatment status. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for parental age, sex, and income (N=105), higher parental educational attainment increased the odds of receiving a clinical diagnosis approximately fivefold (odds ratio [OR] 5.27; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.74–15.99; p=0.003). A positive attitude toward medication increased the odds of initiating medication treatment approximately ninefold (OR 9.15; 95% CI 2.75–30.42; p<0.001). Parental knowledge, however, was not independently associated with either diagnosis or medication treatment. The authors emphasize that differences in ADHD diagnosis and treatment cannot be explained by ethnicity alone, and that sociodemographic and attitudinal factors play a more decisive role; culturally sensitive approaches and efforts to address educational and structural barriers may improve equity in access to services.

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