Awareness and knowledge of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder among medical students of Qassim University in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that affects multiple aspects of an individual's life. It is characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. As it is linked to various comorbidities, individuals and families often find it difficult to cope with it. Therefore, early diagnosis and intervention are vital. AIM: This study examined the ADHD awareness and knowledge of medical students and interns at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. METHOD: For this cross-sectional study, the convenience sample consisted of male and female, fourth- to fifth-year medical students and interns. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed, and the results were tested against a significance threshold of 0.05. RESULTS: The majority of students demonstrated good awareness (83.9%) and fair levels of knowledge (48.2%) of ADHD. Age, academic year, and noncompletion of pediatric and psychiatric classes were associated with poor awareness. Odds ratios (ORs) for poor awareness were lower for the older (>23 years) and fifth-year students as compared with the younger and fourth-year students. Students who had not completed pediatric and psychiatric rotations demonstrated poor awareness. CONCLUSION: Medical students had a good awareness of ADHD; however, they had insufficient knowledge. As such, their knowledge must be improved, which can be achieved through the promotion of continuous education of students and primary health care physicians. The inclusion of the topic of ADHD in pediatric and psychiatric courses is necessary for advancing the knowledge of medical students on ADHD.