Relationship of Mothers' Recognition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Parenting Stress and Family Support in Children Diagnosed with ADHD

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of mothers' recognition of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), parenting stress and family support in mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD. METHODS: The data were collected from December 24, 2009 to July 23, 2010. The participants were 141 mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD and who lived in D city. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS 17.0 were used to analyze the data. To determine the most effective variable (mothers' recognition, parenting stress and family support) to predict parental stress, data were analyzed using canonical correlation with SAS 9.1 TS. RESULTS: Canonical correlation analysis revealed that professional and teachers' roles of the 3 sub-domains of mothers' recognition were the most outstanding variables in predicting parenting stress. Parental distress/parent-child dysfunctional interaction of parenting stress was the most outstanding variable in predicting both mothers' recognition and family support. Spouse cooperation in family support was the most outstanding variable in predicting parenting stress. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that strengthening parents' recognition of ADHD and supporting interventions are important for reducing parenting stress. Professional and teachers' roles, parental distress/parent-child dysfunctional interaction and spouse cooperation should be included in the contents of structured programs.