Parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) express key concerns about their child's ADHD symptoms at school as well as the impact of the ADHD behavior on the parents' personal time according to results from the European Caregiver Survey presented at the American Psychiatric Association's 162nd annual meeting.

The survey also revealed key findings surrounding parents' role in assessment and treatment for their child. Additionally, the survey suggested that informational needs may not be met adequately for these children with ADHD and their families. Conducted in partnership with ADHD advocacy groups in four EU countries, the survey analyzed parental impressions surrounding the impact of ADHD on their child, themselves and their family, as well as their child's ADHD treatment plan.

In the survey, nearly 50 percent of parents across Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK indicated that they played a key role in determining whether their child had ADHD symptoms requiring assessment. Parents also reported being most concerned about their child's ADHD symptoms at school (67 percent), compared with ADHD symptoms at home (17 percent), and that medication was usually taken on school days. Further, the survey showed that most parents see a specialist at least twice a year, and that parents' level of knowledge about ADHD is directly linked to the support provided at the time of diagnosis. However, only half (51 percent) of these respondents felt "well informed" by the informational support provided by the specialist, which included written information for families of children with ADHD, information on local or national support groups, written information for the child with ADHD, and online information.

"ADHD is a commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents. In fact, ADHD affects an estimated 5.3 percent of children and adolescents 18 years of age or younger worldwide, with large variability between countries," said Dr. Myriam Menter, president of ADHD-Europe. "Keeping this in mind, it is important that physicians know how ADHD is currently being perceived by parents of children with the disorder and that they fully understand parents' concerns about managing their child's symptoms. With the help of this survey, physicians can better devise management and support solutions for patients with ADHD and their families."

Outside of school, the majority of parents across Europe reported that the impact of ADHD on their personal and family time is a key factor with the disorder. The impact was noted across a number of activities, but in particular ADHD was felt to impact personal time for themselves and time with their partner or with the family.

When asked about ADHD management, most parents (80 percent) felt involved in the decision for their child, and most received their preferred management option. Although parents experienced mixed emotions with having to put their child on medication, the survey showed that many parents became more positive toward the idea of medication because it made a positive improvement in their child's symptoms.

The European Caregiver survey was developed by Shire and conducted in conjunction with ADHD advocacy groups in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Following are differing perceptions on ADHD and its impact on family life seen between these countries:

• Impact at school - The majority of parents across all surveyed markets reported their child's ADHD symptoms to be most concerning when at school, compared to at home or when engaging in social activities. Parents in Italy were most concerned about their child's ADHD symptoms at school (85 percent), followed by parents in Spain (77 percent), Germany (60 percent), and the UK (57 percent).
• Impact on personal time - Whilst parents in all European countries consistently reported the impact on personal time as their greatest factor with their child's ADHD, over three-quarters of Italian parents (77 percent) reported that their personal time is most impacted compared with just over half of Spanish parents (52 percent).
• Time to diagnosis - In the UK, 65 percent of ADHD diagnoses are made within the first two consultations with the doctor or specialist, whereas in other countries the majority of diagnoses occur on the third or subsequent visits.
• Support provided at diagnosis - At diagnosis, only half (51 percent) of European parents reported they were "fairly well informed" or "very well informed" after receiving additional means for support from the physician. Out of the very well informed parents, 79 percent had received written information for families of children with ADHD from the doctor. Parents in the UK believed they were given the most written information, while Italian parents believed they were given the least amount of written information from the specialist.
• Management choice - Most parents in the countries surveyed reported that they felt involved in the management options for their child with ADHD, with the highest involvement seen in Italy (90 percent) and Spain (85 percent), followed by Germany (77 percent) and the UK (74 percent).

This European Caregiver survey was conducted via online interviews of 505 parents and caregivers with at least one child diagnosed with ADHD -- 117 were from Germany, 52 were from Italy, 166 were from Spain, and 170 were from the UK. Respondents were recruited by ADHD advocacy groups in each country either by direct invitation or by means of alerts on intranet sites or in newsletters. The ADHD advocacy groups that participated in the development and execution of this survey include:

• ADHS Deutschland in Germany
• Italian ADHD Family Association (AIFA) in Italy
• ADANA Foundation and Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Ayuda al Deficit de Atencion e Hiperactividad (FEAADAH) in Spain
• National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service (ADDISS), Milton Keynes ADHD (MK ADHD), and Attention Deficit Disorders Uniting Parents (ADDUP) in the UK

This survey was supported by funding from Shire plc.