Gaps and gains in parents' mental health literacy: A cross-cultural comparison on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge and beliefs about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between first-generation Chinese Canadian and European Canadian parents, and to evaluate the efficacy of an existing translated ADHD information resource to improve their ADHD literacy. A community sample of 28 first-generation Chinese Canadian and 28 European Canadian parents of elementary school-aged children completed questionnaires measuring ADHD knowledge, treatment attitudes and perceived stigma, both before and after reading an informational pamphlet about ADHD. Compared with European Canadian parents, Chinese Canadian parents initially had less knowledge and more stigma about ADHD but had greater increases in knowledge and medication acceptability after passive psychoeducation. For both groups, passive psychoeducation increased ADHD stigma, but did not impact the already high acceptability for parent training intervention. Passive psychoeducation can improve mental health literacy among ethnic minority groups, but further work needs to tailor resources to address specific gaps in mental health literacy and recognize the need for concurrent stigma-reduction methods.