Parent training tailored for parents with ADHD: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Parents who themselves have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to benefit less from conventional parent training (PT) interventions than parents without ADHD, reporting suboptimal effects on both parenting-related outcomes and child externalizing or oppositional behaviors. Therefore, we examined the efficacy of a PT protocol tailored to adults with ADHD called Improving Parenting Skills Adult ADHD (IPSA), using a randomized controlled trial design. Methods: N = 109 self-referred parents with ADHD who had a child with or without ADHD aged 3 to 11 years were randomized to receive IPSA in addition to their routine services (n = 55) or to a comparison group continuing their routine services only (n = 54). Parent-reports of parental self-efficacy (primary outcome), parental stress, home chaos, and externalizing child behaviors (secondary outcomes) were collected pre and post IPSA, as well as at follow-up one and a half to three months later. The primary analyses were conducted according to the intention-to-treat principle, using linear mixed-effects models. Results: There was a larger pre-to-post increase in parental self-efficacy following IPSA compared to routine services only (Cohen’s d = 0.85, p