Parent acceptability and feasibility of ADHD interventions: assessment, correlates, and predictive validity

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Behavioral Health

Background:

• Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder impacting children.
• Parental involvement is crucial for effective ADHD management and treatment adherence.
• Understanding factors influencing parental treatment decisions is essential for optimizing care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine variables associated with parents' willingness to pursue and adhere to treatment recommendations for childhood ADHD.
• To investigate the relationship between parental knowledge, perceived treatment acceptability, and feasibility, and subsequent treatment adherence.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the ADHD Knowledge and Opinions Survey-Revised (AKOS-R) with 87 mothers and 63 fathers of 91 children diagnosed with ADHD.
• Conducted a factor analysis of the AKOS-R to identify key dimensions of treatment acceptability and feasibility.
• Correlated baseline survey scores with follow-up data on treatment pursuit and adherence.

Main Results:

• Externalizing problems positively correlated with parents' ratings of counseling acceptability.
• Parental knowledge regarding ADHD positively correlated with medication acceptability ratings.
• Baseline measures of counseling acceptability, feasibility, and medication acceptability did not predict treatment adherence at follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Parental treatment acceptability and feasibility perceptions at intake do not reliably predict adherence to recommended ADHD treatments.
• The association between treatment acceptability and adherence may be strengthened by assessing acceptability dynamically throughout the treatment process.
• Future interventions should consider repeated assessments of parental treatment attitudes to enhance adherence in pediatric ADHD care.