Stimulant and psychosocial treatment of ADHD in Latino/Hispanic children

Objective: To examine to what extent Latino/Hispanic children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are receiving treatment and to identify variables that predict treatment with stimulant medication. Method: Primary caretakers of a probability household sample (N = 1,897) of Puerto Rican children aged 4-17 years were administered structured interviews (response rate: 90.1%) from 1999-2000 to ascertain psychiatric disorders and types of services received. Results: Only 7.0% of children with ADHD received stimulant medication during the last year; moreover, only 3.6% had actually continued this treatment at the time of the interview. One fourth or less of those with ADHD received school-based services or psychosocial treatment. The male-female ratio in stimulant medication use was 10 to 1. In addition, only 0.2% of those with no psychiatric diagnosis received this treatment. ADHD and ADHD-not otherwise specified, impairment, and being male significantly predicted stimulant treatment. Conclusions: Children with ADHD in this Latino/Hispanic population are not receiving the most efficacious treatments based on scientific findings and relevant clinical consensus. This population is undertreated rather than overtreated.