Quality of life, psychological characteristics, and adjustment in parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PURPOSE: This study investigated quality of life and adjustment mechanisms in parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). METHOD: Ninety parents of children with ADHD completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and self-assessment scales to measure their perceived stress, social support, sense of control, coping strategies and quality of life. RESULTS: ADHD in children negatively affected parents' quality of life, especially their psychological well-being and personal fulfillment. Family and couple relationships, as well as daily life activities, were also affected. The severity of the disorder, perceiving the situation as a threat or a loss, feeling guilty and holding on to irrational beliefs were related to emotion-focused coping strategies and to a poorer quality of life. Furthermore, hyperactivity index and stress ratings relative to perceiving the situation as a threat or a loss, and adopting emotion-focused coping strategies, predicted poorer quality of life. In contrast, perceiving the situation as challenging was related to a greater sense of control and personal fulfillment. Moreover, perceiving the situation as challenging and adopting problem-focused coping strategies predicted better quality of life. CONCLUSION: The findings highlight the negative effects of ADHD on parent psychological adjustment and underline the need to recommend training programs that improve parenting skills, parents' perceptions concerning their child's behavior disorder and parental functioning.

Atypical left-right balance of visuomotor awareness in adult ADHD (combined type) on a test of executive function.

Significant left subclinical hemi-neglect or "hemi-unawareness" in juvenile and adult ADHD has been reported many times. However, this literature has never been thoroughly reviewed, and is generally ignored in neuropsychological accounts of ADHD. The purposes of the present report were (1) to introduce a systematic review of this literature and (2) to prospectively test whether adults with ADHD (combined type) would present left hemi-unawareness measurable on a test of executive function commonly used with children and adults with ADHD, the Colour-Word Interference Test of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Functions System. This test requires participants to discriminate unusual stimulus characteristics by stating words aloud while visually scanning plates comprising either 50 colour patches or 50 words. A total of 28 ADHD adults (combined type) and 30 IQ-, age-, and gender-matched controls completed the task. The ADHD group manifested a significantly higher proportion of errors on the left than right sides of the plates. This atypical left-right balance was related to severity of the ADHD according to the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) as well as to several other indicators from the Continuous Performance Test-II.