Cukurova Medical Journal (Sep 2022)
Comparison of emotional-behavioral problems, parental attitude characteristics, parental stress level, and related factors between children diagnosed with a communication disorder and healthy controls
Abstract
Purpose: We aimed to compare emotional and behavioral problems, parental attitude characteristics, and the risk of parental anxiety and depression between children diagnosed with a communication disorder and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: A total of 117 children diagnosed with a communication disorder in the psychiatric evaluation according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and their parents were included in the communication disorder group, whereas 105 children who presented to the outpatient clinics other than child psychiatry and were not diagnosed with a communication disorder, and their parents formed the control group. Sociodemographic Data Form, Child Adjustment and Parent Efficacy Scale (CAPES-TR), The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire-Short Form (PSDQSF), and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) were filled in by the parents. Results: Psychiatric comorbidity was found in 27.3% of the children in the communication disorder group, with the most common diagnoses being Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (n=17, 15.5%) and Conduct disorder (n=4, 3.6%). CAPES-TR child adjustment total difficulty score and the mean scores of emotional problems and behavioral problems were higher in the communication disorder group. The mean CAPES-TR parental self-efficacy score was lower in the communication disorder group. In the communication disorder group, democratic parenting attitudes were lower , whereas authoritarian and permissive parenting attitudes were higher. HAD-D mean score was higher in the communication disorder group. Conclusion: Our study provides essential information such as an increase in emotional and behavioral problems, more authoritarian or permissive parenting attitudes, a decrease in parental self-efficacy, an increased risk of depression in parents in the presence of communication disorder, and studies that deal with these areas together are limited in the literature. Our findings will contribute to the literature regarding the assessment and planning of appropriate intervention programs for factors that are not only child-focused but also related to parental mental health and parenting skills in the presence of communication disorders.
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