Parent and Family Processes Related to ADHD Management in Ethnically Diverse Youth.
Cynthia P Paidipati, Bridgette Brawner, Ricardo Eiraldi and 1 others
PMID 28076687WHAT IT FOUND
Families' beliefs about ADHD varied across cultures, and diverse families often preferred behavioral care to medication.
Nurses can ask about these views and service barriers before they assume medication acceptance.
Key findings
01Across 32 included articles, parents' beliefs about ADHD differed: European American families tended to link problems to biomedical causes, African American families saw behavioral difficulties as family problems, and Latino families linked ADHD to family or societal imbalance.
02Latino and African American families rated counseling and behavioral treatments more positively than Caucasian parents, while Caucasian parents were more likely to pursue medication.
03Inner-city services for ADHD were fragmented, with gaps in communication among health care, school, community providers, and families.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review did not use quality scores to exclude studies, so weak studies may have shaped the themes. It included only English studies from the United States published from 2000 to 2014. It included only articles with full text available. Most participants were Caucasian/White, African American/Black, or Hispanic/Latino, with less representation from Asian American or Native American groups. Few studies explored subcultural groups within broader racial or ethnic categories. Some included studies used convenience samples or lacked a diversity framework. Most findings came from parent or caregiver reports, not from children, partners, siblings, or extended family. Gender perspectives were limited. Race or ethnicity and socioeconomic status were hard to separate, so education, income, and access may explain some differences.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these cultural differences as fixed traits or proof that a treatment works. The review describes parents' beliefs and care patterns from existing studies, and many differences may reflect socioeconomic status, education, and access rather than race or ethnicity alone.