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Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Group CBT for Parents of ADHD Children

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Abstract

Improvements in parenting skills do not necessarily lead to improvements in child and parent outcomes for children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Cognitive factors such as parental cognitions and parenting self-efficacy may influence such outcomes. Clinical research on the effects of cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) on parental cognitions, parenting self-efficacy and mental health in Chinese parents of children with ADHD is lacking. This quasi-experimental study intended to assess the effects of a culturally attuned group CBT treatment on the mental health and quality of life of Chinese parents aged 26–58 years, with children with ADHD in Hong Kong. Participants in the experimental group received group CBT and standard treatment and their counterparts in the control group received standard treatment. Primary outcome variables of mental health and quality of life and process variables including parenting stress, parenting efficacy and dysfunctional attitudes were measured at baseline, post-treatment and 3-month follow-up. Data were analysed using 2 × 3 ANCOVAs, Cohen’s d statistics and multiple mediation analyses. Group by time interactions were found for most outcome variables. Effect size statistics indicated that group CBT had small to moderate effects on most outcome variables at post-treatment and follow-up assessments. The effect of CBT on mental health was mediated by the reduction in parenting stress and the effect of CBT on quality of life was mediated by the reductions in parenting stress and dysfunctional attitudes. Given its potential benefit, it is worth considering incorporating this group CBT programme into interventions for Chinese parents with ADHD children.

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Funding

This project was funded by both the Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service and the Social Welfare Development Fund of the HKSAR Government.

Author contributions

D.F.K.W.: designed the study and wrote and revised the paper, T.K.N.: analysed the data and revised the paper, P.S.Y.I.: analysed the data and wrote part of the initial draft of the paper. M.L.C. and J.C.: conducted the intervention and collected the data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

    Daniel F. K. Wong & Ting Kin Ng

  2. Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Priscilla S. Y. Ip

  3. Lutheran School Social Work Unit, Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, 5/F, 89 Chung Hau Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Mei Ling Chung

  4. Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, 5/F, 89 Chung Hau Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Joe Choi

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  1. Daniel F. K. Wong
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Correspondence to Daniel F. K. Wong.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Data

The research data are available from the website of University of Hong Kong (http://www.rss.hku.hk/integrity/research-data-records-management).

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Wong, D.F.K., Ng, T.K., Ip, P.S.Y. et al. Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Group CBT for Parents of ADHD Children. J Child Fam Stud 27, 227–239 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0868-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0868-4

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