Exploring Cultural and Social Influences on ADHD Medication Choices in Diverse Communities

About the Project

Details of the Project

Background

ADHD diagnosis and treatment are shaped not only by clinical factors but also by cultural beliefs, social norms, and the wider community context. Families from minority ethnic and socially marginalised backgrounds often face additional barriers to engaging with ADHD medication, including stigma, distrust of services, concerns about over-medicalisation, and culturally rooted explanatory models of behaviour. Despite policy emphasis on personalised and equitable care, little is known about how these cultural and social influences interact with clinical decision-making processes, or how they contribute to observed disparities in ADHD medication uptake and adherence. Understanding these influences is essential for designing culturally responsive approaches that support informed choice and reduce inequalities in ADHD care.

Aims

This PhD project aims to explore how cultural identity, family beliefs, community narratives, and social experiences shape decisions about ADHD medication across ethnic minority communities in England.

Methods

A mixed-methods design will be used. Qualitative interviews with parents, young people, clinicians, and community stakeholders will provide in-depth insight into the lived experience of medication decision-making. Focus groups within community settings will explore shared narratives and collective influences on treatment choices. Survey-based methods or choice experiments may be incorporated to quantify preferences and examine variability across groups. Findings will be integrated using a rigorous triangulation approach.

Significance

The project’s significance lies in its potential to address persistent inequities in ADHD treatment. By understanding how cultural and social contexts shape medication decisions, the research will inform practical, evidence-based strategies to support diverse families, enhance trust and communication, and guide clinicians toward more culturally informed, equitable ADHD care pathways.

Primary Supervisor’s key papers in this area:

• Khan MU*, Hasan SS. Socioeconomic status and prescribing of ADHD medications: a study of ICB-level data in England. BMJ Mental Health. 2025 Mar 11;28(1).
• Khan MU*, Hasan SS. Phase-specific strategies and interventions to enhance medication adherence across different phases in ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics. 2024 Jun 9:1-2.
• Khan MU*, Balbontin C, Bliemer M, Aslani P. Using discrete choice experiment to investigate patients’ and parents’ preferences for initiating ADHD medication. Journal of Mental Health. 2023 Mar 4;32(2):373-85.
• Khan MU*, Balbontin C, Bliemer MC, Aslani P. Eliciting preferences for continuing medication among adult patients and parents of children with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder. Health Expectations. 2022 Jun;25(3):1094-107.
• Hasan SS, Bal N, Baker I, Kow CS, Khan MU. Adverse drug reaction reporting and prescribing trends of drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary care England, 2010–2019. Journal of attention disorders. 2022 Feb;26(3):467-75.
• Khan MU*, Aslani P. Exploring factors influencing initiation, implementation and discontinuation of medications in adults with ADHD. Health Expectations. 2021 May;24:82-94.

Overseas Applicants

Overseas applicants may apply for this studentship but will need to pay the difference between the ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. As part of the application, you will be required to confirm that you will provide this additional funding. Please indicate this on the application form in the funding section. This project has associated consumables costs which should be discussed with the supervisor in the first instance and before applying. The supervisor can be contacted at m.khan59@aston.ac.uk. When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.

Location

This position will be based on the Aston Campus in Birmingham, UK. The successful candidate will need to be located within a reasonable distance of the campus, and will be expected to visit in person regularly.

Person Specification

Candidates should have been awarded, or expect to achieve, EITHER:

a] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, in a relevant subject.

OR

b] a First or Upper Second Class award in their undergraduate degree, and a Merit or Distinction in a Masters degree, both in a relevant subject.

Qualifications from overseas institutions will be considered, but performance must be equivalent to that described above, and the University reserves the right to ascertain this equivalence according to its own criteria.

Contact information

For formal enquiries about this project contact Dr Muhammad Umair Khan at m.khan59@aston.ac.uk

Submitting an application

We can only consider applications that are complete and have all supporting documents. Applications that do not provide all the relevant documents will be automatically rejected.Your application must include:

1. English language copies of the transcripts and certificates for all your higher education degrees, including any Bachelor degrees.
2. A Research Statement detailing your understanding of the research area, how you would approach the project, and a brief review of relevant literature. Be sure to use the title of the research project you are applying for. There is no set format or word count.
3. A personal statement which outlines any further information which you think is relevant to your application, such as your personal suitability for research, career aspirations, possible future research interests, and further description of relevant employment experience.
4. A Curriculum Vitae (Resume) which details your education and work history.
5. Two academic refereeswho can discuss your suitability for independent research. References must be on headed paper, signed and dated no more than 2 years old. At least one reference should be from your most recent University. You can submit your references at a later date if necessary.
6. Evidence that you meet the English Language requirements. If you do not currently meet the language requirements, you can submit this at a later stage.
7. A copy of your passport. Where relevant, include evidence of settled or pre-settled status.

Interviews

Interviews will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. If you are shortlisted, you will be contacted directly with details of the interview.

Apply for this position here

Please select “Research - Health Sciences” from the application form options.

If you require further information about the application process please contact the Postgraduate Admissions team at pgr_admissions@aston.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This project covers the Home tuition fees. Candidates who do not have Home status will be responsible for the difference in tuition fees. Currently the difference between ‘Home’ and the ‘Overseas’ tuition fees is £17,712 for 2026/7. This project has associated consumables costs which should be discussed with the supervisor in the first instance and before applying. The supervisor can be contacted at m.khan59@aston.ac.uk. When applying, please upload copies of your discussions with the supervisor as confirmation.