Parenting Practices of Mothers of Children with ADHD: The Role of Maternal and Child Factors

• Published in: Child and adolescent mental health 2006-05, Vol.11 (2), p.82-88
• Main Authors: McLaughlin, Deirdre P., Harrison, Christine A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention deficit disorders. Hyperactivity; Biological and medical sciences; Child clinical studies; Family environment. Family history; Medical sciences; parental sense of competence; Parenting practices; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
• ISSN: 1475-357X; 1475-3588
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-3588.2005.00382.x

Background:  We examined the relationships among child behavioural and demographic characteristics and parent characteristics in understanding the effectiveness of parenting practices used by mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD. Method:  One hundred and fifty Australian mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD were interviewed and asked to assess the severity of their child's disruptive behaviour, their own parenting sense of competence, perceptions of social isolation and parenting practices. The hypothesis was that severity of child disruptive behaviour, higher child age, ‘only’ child status, lower parental sense of competence and greater social isolation would be associated with the use of less effective parenting practices. Results:  The regression analysis indicated that the combination of these variables was significantly associated with parenting practices, accounting for 32% of the variance. Unique contributions were evident for severity of overall behavioural disturbance and parental sense of competence. Conclusions:  Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed together with methodological limitations of the study.