How Chinese and Us Parents of Children with Adhd Use the Internet: Qualitative Study Using In-Depth Interview

Objectives:

This study aims to

1. Describe the experiences and insights of Chinese and US parents of children with ADHD regarding their use of the internet related to their child's disorder.

2. Describe the potential impact of the internet on their treatment decisions, day to day management of their child's ADHD and their relationship with their child's doctors.

3. Explore parents' preferences for how to obtain information and their unmet information needs.

Informants:

Sampling: Approximately 20-30 Chinese parents and 20-30 US parents of children with ADHD will be recruited. Interviews will be analyzed qualitatively in groups of 4 until theoretical saturation is achieved. These interviews will be accomplished over a 4-month period. Participants will be recruited through public ADHD forums in the US and China. These are discussion boards on various websites where parents are able to post questions and comments. A note about the study will be posted on these forums inviting parents to participate. The aim of the study will be described and eligibility requirements. Parents will have an email and a phone number to contact the PI of the study if they wish to participate. Contacting the PI will be considered consent. In addition, however, at the onset of the interview, oral consent will again be obtained. Participants will be eligible for inclusion if the following criteria are met: (1) They are the parents of a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2) They are the primary caregiver of the child.

Qualitative Interviews

Semi-structured interviews will be conducted by instant messengers such as QQ (the most popular instant messenger in China), Skype or Gmail IM. Interviews will last approximately 30 to 60 minutes. The audio record of conversations will be saved for later transcribing and coding. During the interviews no PHI will be obtained. So for example, the age of the child and the state in which the family resides will be asked but the date of birth or the address will not.

GANTT CHART FOR CONDUCTING IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS

Tasks Nov Dec Jan Feb

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Decide on study objectives and research questions to be answered

Determine study design

Develop data analysis plan

Develop interview guide

Recruit informants

Pretest interview guide

Revise interview guide

Conduct interviews

Transcribe Tapes

Analyze data

Prepare report

In-depth Interview guideline:

Part Content Note

Part I Introduction:  Introduce the interviewer and explain the reason for conducting interviews.

 Ask the informant to answer honestly.

 Explain that there are no right or wrong answers.

 Acknowledge the tape recorder.

 Reassure informant that his or her responses are confidential.

 Tell informant how long discussion will last (1 hr).

 Ask informant to introduce himself or herself. The informant can use a pseudonym if he/she feels uncomfortable giving a real name.

 Obtain general information from the informant (e.g., name, age, "gender", education, kid's age, gender, data of being diagnosed, number of kids).

Part II Icebreaker (Warm-up) "When did you first begin search ADHD information online?"

Part III Key Questions

 Open