Efficacy of a psychosocial intervention for parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alexandria, Egypt

BACKGROUND: Childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic disorder that carries an immense amount of suffering for its victims, their families, and communities. The efficacy of behavioral parent training in the treatment of ADHD has been supported in several studies. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a predesigned culturally sensitive psychosocial intervention program for parents of ADHD children in Alexandria, Egypt. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A pretest-post-test intervention study was carried out at the Child Mental Health Clinic for School Students affiliated to the Health Insurance Organization, Alexandria. The intervention aimed at improving parents' knowledge of ADHD, building their skills in effective parenting, stress management and problem-solving, as well as providing social support. All the participants (50 parents) were assigned to groups, each of five to eight parents. They received a total of eight sessions on a weekly basis. The program was evaluated immediately after completion and 2 months later using the Arabic Version of Conners' Rating Scale to identify ADHD and to assess its severity, Home Situations Questionnaire, Parenting Scale, the Arabic Version of Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS), and parental ADHD-related knowledge questionnaire were used. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant decrease in the mean total scores recorded by parents on Conners' Rating Scale (P<0.001), Home Situations Questionnaire (P<0.05), Parenting Scale (P<0.001), and DASS (P<0.001) immediately after program completion and 2 months later compared with that reported before program initiation. The total scores of participants on the ADHD-related knowledge questionnaire increased significantly after attending the program (P<0.001). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Provision of a psychosocial intervention program for parents of ADHD children proved to be effective in reducing perceived severity of the symptoms and problem situations, as well as improving parents' knowledge, discipline practices, and psychological well-being. © 2014 Egyptian Public Health Association.