The impact of illness variables of a sample of ADHD children on their parents

Abstract

Introduction

The symptoms and behavior of children with ADHD impose demands and difficulties on part of their caring parents, which may cause the latter group to suffer psychological stress.

Objectives

The study of the suffering and symptomatic expression of psychological stress in parents of children with ADHD.

Aims

To study type and severity of symptoms in children with ADHD and the effect of that on the stress response of their parents.

Methods

Thirty-seven children with ADHD diagnosed clinically and with Conner's Test were studied using Child Behavior Chick List (CBCL). Available parents for each child were interviewed and studied with Symptom Chick List 90 Revised (SCL90R). Two control groups were used for both ADHD children and their parents.

Results

The mean age of the children with ADHD was 7.1 ± 1.6, they were 22 males and 15 females. Parents of these children scored highly on total and subscales of SCL90R, they were significantly higher than their control group on total and some of these subscales including somatization, interpersonal, depression, paranoid ideation and hostility domains. Depression and paranoid ideation of ADHD children parents were positively and significantly correlated with most of the sub-items of Conner's test of their children. In addition, somatization, depression and hostility of parents were positively and significantly correlated with most of the sub-items of CBCL of their ADHD children.

Conclusions

The symptoms, behavior and severity of illness of children with ADHD have a great impact on their parents’ psychological state of suffering and stress.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.