Elementary school teachers knowledge and attitude towards attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in Gondar, Ethiopia: a multi-institutional study

Abstract

Background A child suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) faces many difficulties in social as well as academic performances. School teachers’ knowledge and attitude towards ADHD play a vital role in early detection and referral of the child to treatment centers. Few existing reports, however, indicate the alarming rate at which the problem is highly neglected in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study is designed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and factors that affecting elementary school teachers about ADHD. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted in Gondar town and other towns nearby Gondar from February 24 to March 24, 2020. Data were collected through structured self -administered questionnaires using the Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale and ADHD-specific attitudes measurement tools. Then, it was entered into Epi-info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariate logistic regressions were fitted to identify factors associated with the knowledge and attitude of elementary school teachers. Variables having a p-value < 0.05 at 95% CI were considered statistically significant. Result Of 636 respondents, about 44.8% (95% CI 41.2, 48.4) and 84.1% (95% CI 81.0, 86.8) of elementary school teachers had good knowledge and a favorable attitude towards ADHD, respectively. Having a diploma and above (AOR = 3.028, 95% CI 1.630–5.625), reading ADHD leaflets (AOR = 2.035, 95% CI 1.391, 2.950) and search ADHD on the internet (AOR = 1.793, 95% CI 1.090, 2.950) were significantly associated with teachers knowledge to ADHD; whereas, working experience in teaching a child with ADHD (AOR = 1.852, 95% CI 1.195–2.87) and watching ADHD on mass media (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.056–2.8) were positively predicts teachers attitude towards ADHD. Conclusion the proportion of teachers’ knowledge towards ADHD was low; in contrast, their attitude was relatively satisfactory. Strengthening teachers’ educational upgrading system, frequent and fair distribution of leaflets written to address ADHD, installation of an internet system to the schools, and continuous ADHD awareness creation programs through mass media are highly recommended.

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

“…This finding reveals that these are the main sources for parents to acquire knowledge on ADHD. Comparable results were reported by Dodangi et al (2017), Alshehri et al (2020), andDessie et al (2021). This suggests that the publicity and popularization of basic knowledge on ADHD should be increased through mass media, and medical staff should increase the popularization of ADHD knowledge to improve parental awareness of ADHD.…”

ADHD Knowledge, perception, and misconceptions among Sudanese Elementary school teachers in 2022

“…Nevertheless, a study in northern Jordan reported higher knowledge about ADHD general features followed by symptoms and diagnosis subclass than ADHD treatment with a mean total knowledge of 21.3% (30). Surprisingly a study conducted in Ethiopia stated that teachers had higher knowledge about ADHD treatment than the rest of the subclasses (31).…”

Accurately Assessing Teacher ADHD-Specific Attitudes Using the Scale for ADHD-Specific Attitudes

“…Similarly, Dessie et al (2021) used the attitudes section, the Scale for ADHD Specific Attitudes, of the aforementioned research instrument ( Mulholland, 2016 ), to assess the ADHD-specific attitudes of 636 in-service teachers in Gondar, Ethiopia. They found that 84.1% of teachers held favorable attitudes toward ADHD and that the likelihood of reporting favorable attitudes were 1.85 times higher when the teachers had previous experience teaching a child with ADHD.…”

“…Only a handful of studies investigated the influence of other socio-demographic features on ADHD-specific attitudes. Results suggested that teaching students with ADHD diagnoses increased positive attitudes toward them ( Amha & Azale, 2022 ; Dessie et al, 2021 ), as did watching mass media as an information source about ADHD (Dessie et al). Furthermore, Cueli et al (2022) found that as teachers aged, their ADHD-specific attitudes became more negative, while having a close relationship with a student who had ADHD, having a relative with ADHD, or having ADHD themselves led to more positive opinions of their students with ADHD ( Flavian & Uziely, 2022 ).…”