DEHB ve Otizm lie İlgili Bilgi Düzeyleri ve Damgalama: Sınıf Öğretmenleri ve Anababalarla Çok Merkezli Bir Çalışma.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the "level of misinterpretations and stigmatization on attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism" (stigma) in elementary school teachers and parents of children who admitted to child psychiatry out-patient clinics. Method: This study was carried out in the child and adolescent psychiatry clinics of seven university hospitals from each geographical regions of Turkey. Parents (n:666) and teachers (n:453) were given the questionnaires on ADHD and autism, which were developed by the authors to assess the STIGMA. Results: The level of stigmatization on ADHD was significantly correlated with the level of stigmatization on autism (r: .37, p<0.001) and with the level of misinterpretation on ADHD (r:.25, p<0.001) among teachers and parents. STIGMA was significantly higher among teachers, in eastern provinces and in parents with lower education level. More than half of the teachers denoted that the medication used for ADHD would have serious side effects and even with treatment ADHD would not sufficiently improve, and the children diagnosed with ADHD or autism should be trained at separate classes. Conclusion: The results suggest that the misinterpretations and stigmatization on ADHD and autism are more prevalent as the source, components and the level of information are not reliable. The parents and teachers may benefit from structured educative programs in order to get rid of wrong assumptions and stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]