The Efficacy of Educational Interventions in Improving School Teachers’ Knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Background: Well-trained primary school teachers should be competent in recognizing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in students and be able to assist in providing care and support. Objectives: This study intends to assess primary school teachers' knowledge of ADHD and evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term educational intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental quantitative study was conducted among primary school teachers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. A two-hour educational intervention was designed and run in six schools using a specific knowledge rating scale before and after the application of the intervention. Results: A total of 150 primary school teachers were included in this study, of which 64% were males, 51.3% were in the age group of 40-49 years, and 28% had teaching experience of more than 20 years. Regarding ADHD knowledge, the pre-intervention knowledge of the general criteria, symptoms and diagnosis, and treatment was considered adequate in 3.3%, 16.7%, and 2.7% of the participants, respectively, which improved post-intervention to 22%, 54.7%, and 19.3%, respectively. There was a significant association between the pre-intervention knowledge of the general criteria and the gender and between the knowledge of symptoms and diagnosis and the attendance of ADHD workshop by the participants. Also, there was a significant association between the participants' age, residence experience, attendance of ADHD workshops, and the general criteria and treatment domains. Conclusions: Most primary school teachers in Jazan have insufficient knowledge of ADHD. Using a knowledge improvement intervention can substantially improve the teachers’ knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to incorporate thoughtful knowledge improvement programs into the educational curricula for teachers.