How online ADHD-related information affects Chinese parents’ decisions?

Abstract

Background Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a major public health problem in China. Parents of children with confirmed, or suspected ADHD often face a difficult process in making decisions concerning diagnosis and treatment. The internet is a major source of information for parents. The purpose of this study is to survey Chinese parental motivation and experience in using the internet to retrieve ADHD-related information, and how well online information is associated with making decisions. Methods Parents were recruited to fill out an online questionnaire in the health portal. A total of 404 valid questionnaires were collected. Results A total of 47.8% of parents agree that the internet helps them to understand the potential treatment options, but 77.7% of all parents still have conflict during decision-making. Conclusions Parents search for ADHD-related information online, but their acquisition skills need to be improved. Internet information affects their health decisions. Parents still have highly conflicting decision-making. Improving the ability of parents to obtain information on the Internet may reduce the conflict in decision-making. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s12519-018-0207-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Clinicians’ Views on the Need for Cultural Adaptation of Intervention for Children with ADHD from the Ultraorthodox Community

“…As such, while participants emphasized the importance of providing reliable information, they recommend creating resources that do not involve the internet and social media. While this is in contrast to recent literature, which has noted the rise in information-seeking online, with parents turning to the internet to fulfill their information needs, the literature does address the importance of considering barriers to internet access when using this medium to provide reliable information regarding diagnosis and intervention [44,45].…”

Screening of ADHD symptoms in primary school students and investigation of parental awareness of ADHD and its influencing factors: A cross-sectional study

“…With such a high prevalence, perhaps only 10% of children with ADHD in China visit specialized clinics (Zheng and Liu, 2015). There are many possible reasons, such as the accessibility and convenience of ADHD clinic, the number of local pediatricians who have received professional training in ADHD, national culture and economic factors Yu et al, 2019), among which the public's lack of knowledge about ADHD and lack of awareness of the disease may also be one of the important reasons. Unrecognized and undiagnosed children may not receive standardized management and treatment, further reducing their quality of life.…”