Treatment Disparities in Black and Hispanic Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders

Disparity in diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among children has been studied; however, no known studies examining disparities based on severity of symptoms have been investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the racial disparities in diagnosis and treatment that exist among children based on severity of symptoms. This cross-sectional quantitative analysis used data from the 2016 National Survey of Children\u27s Health and the theoretical foundation was guided by the behavioral model of healthcare utilization and help-seeking behavior for ADHD. Binomial logistic regression analysis showed an overall association between race and the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. The greatest disparities were observed among Hispanic children who were less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (OR=0.718 [0.616, 0.838],