Perception and behavior toward neuropsychiatric disorders in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review and quality assessment.
Fifteen years of Saudi data show stubborn stigma toward ADHD and autism, but short education bursts can flip the script.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Alexander and his team read every Saudi study on public and professional views of ADHD and autism from 2010 to 2025. They kept only the papers that passed quality checks. The final pool let them map who knows what—and who still stigmatizes—across the country.
Most past work came from Central and Western provinces. The review shows how little we know about the East and North.
What they found
Across 15 years, both everyday people and trained staff showed low knowledge and high stigma toward ADHD and autism. The pattern stayed steady year after year.
Research itself is lopsided: almost all data come from Riyadh and Jeddah, leaving other regions in the dark.
How this fits with other research
Alnahdi (2025) zoomed in on 284 Saudi healthcare workers and found the same discomfort Alexander saw—job role shaped how uneasy staff felt. The review gives the wide shot; Ghaleb gives the close-up.
Klein et al. (2024) counted challenging behavior in preschoolers with ID or autism. Their 78.8% rate fits the review’s point: when stigma is high, families may delay help, letting behavior worsen.
Obeid et al. (2015) ran a short online course for college students in Lebanon and the US and cut stigma fast. Their result stands against Alexander’s grim trend, showing stigma can drop when you teach.
Why it matters
You now have proof that stigma is still the norm in Saudi clinics, schools, and malls. Use that fact when you pitch brief awareness lessons to teachers, nurses, or parents. Copy Rita’s 2015 model: one clear module, one measurable attitude check. Start local—your next in-service or parent night can be the test.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In 2010, Saudi Arabia became the first country from the Gulf Cooperation Council states to join the World Mental Health Survey Initiative, which collaborates with Harvard University and has undertaken over 33 countries. The Saudi National Mental Health Survey revealed that 80% of Saudis with severe mental health disorders do not seek treatment. Considering the strong evidence set out in Saudi national study and the recommendations for future research, this systematic literature review was initiated to examine the most studied neurodevelopmental disorders reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to explore public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Findings have shown that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder have been the most studied neurodevelopmental disorders in Saudi Arabia since 2010. However, various groups in Saudi society, including healthcare professionals, medical students, and the general public, lacked knowledge about these health conditions, often leading to stigmatized attitudes and behaviors toward people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder. However, demographic data showed that most of the studies were carried out in the Central and Western provinces. More research is needed in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to contribute to the knowledge about mental health conditions of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder children and their parents to increase knowledge about neurodevelopmental disorders and mental health disorders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thereby enabling people to rethink their attitudes and behavior.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2025 · doi:10.1177/13623613241258544