“I think my child has ADHD”- parents looking for help in Romanian online discussion forums

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects 3-5% of school-aged children. Parents are main responsible for symptoms identification and addressing to a mental health specialist. Given the growth of online resources, parents often search health information on websites or engage in online discussion forums. The aim of this study is to explore parents’ needs and reasons for using online discussion forums. Methods: We gathered parents’ messages from 15 online discussion forums (1550 messages). Thematic analysis is used to categorize messages into themes. Expected results: The preliminary results show that online discussion forums are predominantly used by mothers. They search information about causes, symptoms, useful treatments and diagnosis methods. Online communication encourages self-disclosure, tackles social support from other parents and is a friendly environment to discuss the ADHD diagnosis. Current stage of work: We have selected the forums and representative messages and we proceed with thematic analysis. Discussions: The results of this study may be used in planing successful e-health interventions for parents of children with ADHD.