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Parent training for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Its impact on parent functioning

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Abstract

This study examined changes in parent functioning resulting from parental participation in a behavioral parent training (PT) program specifically designed for school-aged children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Relative to wait list controls, subjects who completed the nine-session PT program showed significant posttreatment gains in both child and parent functioning, which were maintained 2 months after treatment. In particular, there were PT-induced reductions in parenting stress and increases in parenting self-esteem, which accompanied parent-reported improvements in the overall severity of their child's ADHD symptoms. In addition to their statistical importance, these findings are discussed in terms of their clinical significance, utilizing methods developed by Jacobson and Truax (1991).

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This project was supported in part through BRSG grant S07RR05712-19 awarded to Arthur D. Anastopoulos by the Biomedical Research Support Program, Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health.

The authors are grateful to Paula Nevins, Mary Maher, and Heidi Mosher for their assistance in scoring, coding, and entering the data. The authors would also like to extend thanks to Dr. Kenneth Fletcher for his statistical assistance and to Dr. Russell Barkley for his helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.

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Anastopoulos, A.D., Shelton, T.L., DuPaul, G.J. et al. Parent training for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Its impact on parent functioning. J Abnorm Child Psychol 21, 581–596 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00916320

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00916320

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