Knowledge, gender, and guidance: Factors influencing Indian mothers responses to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Pages: 195-200
Geraldine D.J. Cadet (Department of Psychology, Florida International University, US)
Makella S. Coudray (Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University, US)
Dionne P. Stephens (College of Science & Education, Florida International University, US)
Prajakta Adsul (Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, US)
Anand Siddaiah (Public Health Research Institute of India Teresian College, PG Department of Psychology, Mysore, Karnataka, IN)
Purnima Madhivanan (Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health,
University of Arizona, Tucson, US, Public Health Research Institute of India, Mysore, Karnataka, IN)

In the current study, we examined the socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes of Indian mothers, their knowledge about behaviors related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the relationship with ADHD diagnosis among their children. Previous research showed 11.3% of primary school children in India have been diagnosed with ADHD, yet little research has been conducted on how mothers perceive these behaviors. A survey was completed by 100 mothers with children aged between 4-12 years. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ADHD Checklist for Children was used to assess the presence of ADHD symptoms in Indian children. The surveys were analyzed to identify maternal ADHD knowledge, socio-demographic characteristics and attitudes associated with ADHD within the context of Indian culture using SPSS. It was determined that the gender of the child, the geographical location the mother was raised, willingness of mother to seek professional help, mother’s knowledge on handling child’s behavior and mother’s knowledge on ADHD were significantly associated with ADHD. Further analyses revealed that a lack of knowledge of ADHD and handling child’s behavior were most associated with an ADHD diagnosis based on the CDC ADHD checklist.