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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the parents who agreed to participate in this study, as well as the child psychiatrists who enabled their recruitment. They also express their thanks to Mathieu Landry, Carol Robins, and Carol Sankey for providing language assistance and proof reading the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Psychopathologie et Processus de Santé (LPPS, EA 4057), Institut de Psychologie, Université Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité, 71 avenue Edouard Vaillant, 92100, Boulogne-Billancourt, France

    Emilie Cappe & Marie-Caroline Rougé

  2. Laboratoire de Recherche sur les Familles d’Enfants présentant un Trouble du Spectre de l’Autisme, Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal, QC, H2X 3P2, Canada

    Mélanie Bolduc

  3. Service de Psychiatrie de l’Enfant et de l’Adolescent, Hôpital Robert Debré, 48 boulevard Sérurier, 75019, Paris, France

    Marie-Claude Saiag & Richard Delorme

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  1. Emilie Cappe
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  2. Mélanie Bolduc
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Correspondence to Emilie Cappe.

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Cappe, E., Bolduc, M., Rougé, MC. et al. Quality of life, psychological characteristics, and adjustment in parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Qual Life Res 26, 1283–1294 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1446-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-016-1446-8

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