Prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in Arab and Jewish children in Israel, where are the gaps?

BMC Psychiatry

Research

Amal Shehadeh-Sheeny¹  Orna Baron-Epel¹ 

[1] School of Public Health, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905, Haifa, Israel;

关键词: Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder;    Diagnosis;    Education;    Ethnicity;    Socio-economic status;    Help-seeking;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12888-023-05090-3

 received in 2023-06-07, accepted in 2023-08-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder affecting children and causing significant impairment. It is not clear to what extent ADHD differs between population groups. This study aims to assess prevalence, diagnosis and treatment of ADHD among Arab and Jewish children of primary school age in Israel.MethodsCross-sectional survey, including 517 parents of children ages 7–10 (225 Jewish and 292 Arab) and 60 homeroom teachers of the corresponding children. Both parents and homeroom teachers completed the ADHD Rating Scale-V-RV. ADHD was defined according to DSM-5 ADHD criteria by both parents and teachers, or clinical diagnosis. In addition, parents reported ADHD medication and adherence to medication.ResultsPrevalence of ADHD was similar for both groups. Yet, seeking diagnosis was lower among Arab Muslim children (9.2%) compared to Jewish children (17.8%). Arab Muslim children received significantly less medication compared to Jewish children. Parental decision to seek diagnosis was associated with education (OR = 6.14, CI 1.74–21.71), not ethnicity. Ethnicity predicted parents’ decisions to pharmacologically treat their children with ADHD (OR = 7.61, CI 1.14–50.86) and adherence to medication (OR = 10.19, CI 1.18–88.01).ConclusionEducation is critical in the help-seeking process, affecting the rate of ADHD diagnosis. Pharmacological treatment and adherence are correlated with ethnicity. Parents with limited education and minorities should be targeted for interventions to increase awareness regarding ADHD and treatment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023