{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,25]],"date-time":"2026-10-25T04:01:47Z","timestamp":1792900907540,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744761600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Children are more susceptible to irrational medication and its short- and long-term health consequences. This study investigated parents' perceptions and behavior regarding self-medication of their children under five years of age in city Abbottabad, Pakistan.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>Non-probability convenient random selection was used to select participants for this qualitative study. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 parents who self-medicate their children, utilizing audio recordings and note-taking as the methods for data collection. N-Vivo 11.0 was used for thematic analysis and data has presented according to COREQ checklist.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Result<\/jats:title><jats:p>The majority (45%) of parents were aged 25\u201335 years, while 35% had primary education. Of the 40 parents (18 females, 22 males) interviewed, 38 reported frequently self-medicating their children. The data highlighted three major themes: reasons for self-medication, factors influencing self-medication, and most commonly used medication. Parents reported that they self-medicate their children frequently. Most parents kept antipyretics, antibiotics, and cough syrups at home. The majority of the participating parents preferred self-medication due to their lack of trust on healthcare professionals. Factors for self-medication practices included a preference of home-based care, cultural influence, financial and time constraints, the parents' own understanding of the disease and its symptoms, and a lack of basic education.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Pakistani parents in the Abbottabad region frequently resort to self-medication for their children, due to range of factors. The study emphasizes the need of building trust in healthcare experts, raising knowledge and educating people about the dangers of self-medication, and addressing cultural and socioeconomic variables that influence parental decision-making.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2025.1445219","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T05:26:36Z","timestamp":1744781196000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["A qualitative exploration of parental perspectives and behaviors on self-medication for children under five in Abbottabad, Pakistan"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ijaz ul","family":"Haq","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Syed","family":"Hanzila Azhar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shahbaz Ahmad","family":"Zakki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaojing","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"317","DOI":"10.1111\/jphs.12282","article-title":"Parental self-treatment of their children in Jordan, a qualitative study","volume":"10","author":"Mukattash","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Pharm Health Serv Res"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"182","DOI":"10.23750\/abm.v91i1.9242","article-title":"Prevalence, attitude and practice of self-medication among adolescents and the paradigm of dysmenorrhea self-care management in different countries","volume":"91","author":"De Sanctis","year":"2020","journal-title":"Acta Biomed"},{"key":"B3","first-page":"48","article-title":"Assessment of prescription pattern in paediatric patients using WHO indicators","volume":"6","author":"Chandika","year":"2019","journal-title":"IJRR"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.52403\/ijrr.20210408","article-title":"Review on assessment of selfmedication and factors \u0131nfluencing self-medication practice among pediatric population","volume":"8","author":"Shabaraya","year":"2021","journal-title":"IJRR"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"430","DOI":"10.21608\/ejhc.2020.132995","article-title":"Self-Medication practices among mothers having children under five-years","volume":"10","author":"Mohamed El Sheshtawy","year":"2019","journal-title":"Egypt J Health Care"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"714","DOI":"10.1007\/s11469-019-00180-4","article-title":"The misuse of prescribed drugs during the Syrian crisis: a cross-sectional study","volume":"19","author":"Alaryan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Ment Health Addiction"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e30844","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.30844","article-title":"Self-medication with antibiotics: an element increasing resistance","volume":"14","author":"Sachdev","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.47391\/JPMA.1331","article-title":"An overview of self-medication: a major cause of antibiotic resistance and a threat to global public health","volume":"71","author":"Rehman","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Pak Med Assoc"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.2147\/RMHP.S444658","article-title":"Assessing the reasons and adverse effects of self-medication in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone. 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