Community Intervention Can Increase ADHD Treatment Utilization

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A five-month community health worker intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) called SupporT for ADHD and Related Treatment (START) is feasible and increases ADHD treatment utilization, according to a study published online July 30 in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

Andrea E. Spencer, M.D., from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children”s Hospital of Chicago, and colleagues developed START based on perspectives from racial- and ethnic-minoritized families with feedback from a community advisory board. A single-arm, adaptive pilot feasibility study of START was conducted for primary caregivers of children aged 6 to 12 years with newly diagnosed ADHD.

Eighteen families were enrolled; 15 and 16 completed START and study questionnaires, respectively. The median intervention duration was six sessions completed over five weeks. The researchers found that all caregivers were satisfied with the quality of the intervention and materials provided and reported that they would recommend START to other caregivers. Most of the caregivers reported that START made them more likely to consider medications, therapy, and school services for ADHD (69, 75, and 88 percent, respectively). The median number of outpatient treatments increased from 1.0 to 2.0 from preintervention to postintervention; in addition, there was an increase in ADHD knowledge and an increase in median scores for 16 of 17 intervention objectives.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the content and strategy addressing stigma in particular,” Spencer said in a statement. “Caregivers reported that the intervention helped them confront their own stigma about ADHD, as well as stigma from others. A community-based approach really can change the stigma associated with ADHD and hopefully get more kids into treatment.”

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