Measuring adherence to medication for ADHD (MAMA) study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Measuring Adherence to Medication for ADHD (MAMA) study: An Observational Study of ADHD Medication Adherence in Children: Patterns, Predictors and Clinical Impact
IRAS ID
141566
Contact name
Margaret Thompson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Of Southampton
Research summary
This project will be a supplement to the South Hampshire ADHD Register (SHARe) – a clinical research data base for ADHD patients. This phase of the study will be conducted by two fourth year medical students as part of their “study in depth” under the supervision of Dr Margaret Thompson, Mrs. Cathy Laver-Bradbury and Professor Edmund Sonuga-Barke. Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders to occur in children with prevalence in the UK of 3.62% (Ford, 2003) ADHD is characterised by a cluster of symptoms which includes hyperactivity, attention deficit, and impulsivity. DSM-V guidelines (APA, 2013) state that the symptoms be present before age 12 years, present in multiple settings (for example home and school) with six symptoms present in each or both categories of Inattention: or Hyperactivity and Impulsivity. The Guidelines divided ADHD into three subtypes; Predominantly Inattentive Type, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, and a Combined Type. Most children who are referred into Child and Adolescent services with ADHD are offered behaviour or parenting work in the first instant. However many children, especially those with the more severe type of ADHD are assessed and started on medication, either short acting ones (4 hours) or longer acting ones (6-8 hours). Medication does help control symptoms and children then do better at school and have better relationships with family and friends.
However many children do not take their medication all the time, and therefore the control of symptoms is not as good as it could be. We want to talk to a group of children and parents at the start of taking medication and then after 3 months, to see if we can ascertain why children stop taking medicine and therefore be in a position to make recommendations to clinicians.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0427
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion