Medication is an efficacious treatment strategy for adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), however use significantly declines during adolescence when the consequences of ADHD are most severe (e.g. dropping out of school, delinquency, etc.). The Unified Theory of Behavior Change (UTBC) has been proposed as a conceptual model to explain the mechanism underlying ADHD medication adherence and to guide the development of interventions to improve the continuity of treatment. The UTBC is a well-established and empirically tested model that identifies factors that influence an individual's intention to perform a behavior as well as factors that influence whether a behavior is actually carried out. Indeed, the research team's preliminary data support the relevance of pre-intention factors and implementation factors for medication continuity among adolescents with ADHD. Currently, no evidence-based interventions target medication continuity for adolescents with ADHD. The objective of this study is to test a multi-component intervention that systematically identifies and targets aspects of the UTBC model most relevant for each adolescent with poor ADHD medication continuity. The central hypothesis is that the tailored intervention will support ADHD medication continuity. The study will objectively test the central hypothesis by conducting a randomized controlled trial among adolescents with poor medication continuity to test whether the intervention engages the mechanism underlying medication continuity and improves outcomes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
40
Medication continuity tools integrated within the mehealth for ADHD software will assess factors influencing medication continuity for each adolescent and recommend tools to address relevant factors. Tools include 1) a system to track outcomes and resolve uncertainty about the need for and/or benefit from medicine, 2) a module to address stigma, 3) a module to help manage side effects, and 4) reminders to take medicine and/or request refills.
The mehealth for ADHD software has multiple functionalities including 1) online training regarding the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) ADHD guidelines; 2) an ADHD workflow wizard that guides pediatricians through the creation of an efficient office workflow to deliver quality ADHD care; 3) online collection of parent- and teacher-report ADHD rating scales for the assessment of ADHD as well as monitoring response to medication treatment; 4) integrated algorithms that automatically score rating scales in real time and provide pediatricians with assessment and treatment reports as well as immediate warnings; 5) an online pediatrician "report card"; and 6) a Plan-Do-Study-Act wizard that allows pediatricians to select a practice behavior to improve based on their report card and guides them through the creation of small tests of change to improve their office systems.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Proportion of Days Covered With Medicine
This will be calculated based pharmacy dispensing records
Time frame: An average of 4 months
Fidelity to Intended Use of Intervention Components
Proportion of intervention components completed relative to the components that were recommended by the portal based on adolescent/parent responses to the assessment battery.
Time frame: An average of 4 months
Change in Pre-intention Factors of Unified Theory of Behavior Change
Adolescent and parent self-report on a 1-5 or 1-7-point scale, depending on the item. Items were re-scaled to a 1 (signifying less belief) to 5 (signifying stronger belief) scale. Individual items measure specific attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Items were coded so that higher scores aligned with increased perceived advantages of performing the behavior and behavioral control around taking ADHD medicine. We calculated the average score of the total items (Adolescent report = 19 items; Parent report = 17 items). Range of change score is (-4) to (+4).
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
Change in Intention to Take/Give ADHD Medicine Regularly
Adolescent and parent self-report on a 1-7-point scale. Items were re-scaled to a 1 (signifying less intention) to 5 (signifying stronger intention) scale. Items were coded so that higher scores aligned with stronger intention to take ADHD medicine every school day, weekend day, and during school vacations. We calculated the average score of the 3 items. Range of change score is (-4) to (+4).
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
Change in Adolescent-report of Medication Barriers
Adolescent self-report on Adolescent Medication Barriers Scale using a 1-5-point Likert Scale. 1 indicates strong agreement and 5 indicates strong disagreement, with higher scores indicating less barriers. Items were coded so that higher scores aligned with increased organizational skills, salience of behavior, and routine around taking ADHD medicine. We calculated the average score of the 8 items. Range of change score is (-4) to (+4).
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
Change in Parent-report of Medication Barriers
Parent self-report on Parent Medication Barriers Scale using a 1-5-point Likert Scale. 1 indicates strong agreement and 5 indicates strong disagreement, with higher scores indicating less barriers. Items were coded so that higher scores aligned with increased adolescent organizational skills, salience of behavior, and routine around taking ADHD medicine. We calculated the average score of the 9 items. Range of change score is (-4) to (+4).
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
Change in Medication Diversion
Adolescent self-report of the number of occasions of giving away, trading, or selling ADHD medicine to someone for whom it was not prescribed.
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
Change in Decision Making Involvement Scale
Adolescent and Parent self-report. The scale contains the following subscales: "Child Seek" (e.g. child asks for an opinion or information from the parent), "Child Express" (e.g. child expresses an opinion or information to the parent), "Parent Seek" (e.g. parent asks for an opinion or information from child), "Parent Express" (e.g. parent expresses advice, an opinion, or information to the child), and "Joint/Options" (e.g. negotiation and brainstorming between child and parent). Each subscale produces a score which ranges from 1 to 4 with higher scores indicating more of that behavior.
Time frame: At baseline and approximately 4 months later
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.