Designing and evaluating the brief individual parental training programme for mothers of children with ADHD

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalentneurodevelopmental condition that often challenges and family dynamics andparenting practices. This study aimed to design and evaluate a Brief IndividualParental Training Programme tailored for mothers of children with ADHD. Theintervention was designed to increase mothers’ understanding of ADHD, strengthentheir perceived family support, enhance parenting strategies, and promote positiveinteractions between mother and child. An exploratory sequential mixed-methodsdesign was employed, beginning with a qualitative phase to explore thephenomenon, followed by a quantitative phase to examine prospective outcomesthrough pre- and post-test comparisons. The sample comprised thirty mothers ofchildren aged 6–10 years diagnosed with ADHD, of different categorieswascollected from Community Based Disability Management and RehabilitationProgramme(CDMRP), Psychology Department, Calicut university and Convenientsampling was used. The research was conducted in two phases: Phase I involved thedevelopment of the intervention module and its validation through a pilot study,while Main Phase comprised the implementation of the main study. Pre-interventionassessments were conducted for both children and their mothers. The Binet–KamatTest of Intelligence (BKT)was administered to rule out intellectual disability, theConners Parent Rating Scale Revised (CPRS)was used to confirm the diagnosis ofAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the Child BehaviorChecklist (CBCL)was employed to assess behavioural problems. For the mothers,the General Health Questionnaire–28 (GHQ-28) was administered to screen forpsychiatric concerns, the Parental Stress Index (PSI)was used to measure stresslevels, and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ) was employed to evaluateparenting practices.Following these assessments, two checklists were administered sequentially:the ADHD Awareness Checklist, which assessed maternal knowledge aboutAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the Family DynamicsChecklist, which explored perceived support and family relationships. Subsequently,mothers participated in an eight-session Brief Individual Parental TrainingProgramme. The sessions incorporated psychoeducation on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), strategies for managing child behaviour,approaches to strengthening family dynamics, and techniques for improvingmother–child interactions through structured activities.Post-intervention assessments, conducted using the Alabama ParentingQuestionnaire (APQ) and Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised (CPRS), indicatedsignificant improvements in maternal awareness of Attention-Deficit/HyperactivityDisorder (ADHD), parenting practices, and family interactions. These findingssuggest that the Brief Individual Parental Training Programme is both feasible andeffective in supporting mothers of children with ADHD, with potential forintegration into clinical, educational, and community mental health settings.