PediatricsREVIEW ARTICLE

Person-centered language and pediatric ADHD research: a cross-sectional examination of stigmatizing language within medical literature

Kristyn Robling, BS; Caitlin Cosby, BS; Gunner Parent, BS; Swapnil Gajjar, BS; Tessa Chesher, DO; Michael Baxter, DO; and Micah Hartwell, PhD
Notes and Affiliations
Notes and Affiliations

Received: June 21, 2022

Accepted: January 18, 2023

Published: February 10, 2023

  • Kristyn Robling, BS, 

    Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK, USA

  • Caitlin Cosby, BS, 

    Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK, USA

  • Gunner Parent, BS, 

    Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, OK, USA

  • Swapnil Gajjar, BS, 

    Department of Industrial Engineering & Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA

  • Tessa Chesher, DO, 

    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA

  • Michael Baxter, DO, 

    Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa, OK, USA

  • Micah Hartwell, PhD, 

    Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, OK, USA

J Osteopath Med; 123(4): 215-222
Abstract

Context: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children and often goes untreated. A major barrier to treatment is the stigma surrounding the disorder, including from the educational and scientific community. Person-centered language (PCL) is associated with positive health outcomes, and its implementation is recommended by multiple professional groups, but its use has not been quantified for ADHD.

Objectives: The goal of this study is to quantify the adherence to PCL among ADHD-related journal publications utilizing a cross-sectional study design.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional examination including a systematic search of PubMed, which encompasses MEDLINE, for ADHD-related articles from January 2014 to March 2021. All journals with at least 20 ADHD-related search returns, human research, and in the English language were included, totaling 5,308 articles from 88 journals. Articles were randomized, and the first 500 were screened for inclusion of prespecified, non-PCL terminology. After exclusion, 311 articles were retained.

Results: Of the 311 retained articles, 131 (42.1%) adhered to PCL guidelines. Among articles with non-PCL, stigmatizing language such as “problem(s) with [the/a] child or problem child” and “suffers from” was found most frequently— occurring in 47.6% (148/311) and 5.8% (18/311) of the articles, respectively. We found no significant association between PCL adherence and study characteristics.

Conclusions: Our findings revealed that over half of the current ADHD literature did not adhere to PCL guidelines. Adherence to PCL by the scientific and medical community will increase the overall efforts to mitigate stigma and increase support for individuals with ADHD.

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