مجله علوم روانشناختی (Dec 2022)
Lived experience of parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Abstract
Background: Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder in a child that persists throughout life. The main clinical symptom is attention deficit and hyperactivity. These children are weaker than their peers in social skills and show more behavioral and social problems. Research shows that cultural differences are essential in diagnosing and treating the disorder in the early years. To moderate the effects of the disorder, it is necessary to use effective interventions in family, school, and society. In the study community, There is a research gap in the lived experience of parents with children with ADHD disorder. Aims: This amied to understand the problems of Iranian parents in the development of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder through their lived experience. Methods: A qualitative approach and phenomenological method were used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone and in-person With 12 parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder selected by purposive and available sampling, The data were analyzed with the seven-step method of Colaizzi. Results: Data analysis led to the extraction of 4 main themes and 19 subthemes. The main themes are Parents' challenges, parents' strategies for the problem, behaviors aggravating symptoms of the disorder, and the effects of ADHD on parents. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, which are in line with the social, cultural, and lived experiences of parents of children with ADHD disorder, it seems that part of the parents' problems in the core family is not accepting the influence of the disorder on the child's behavior. In this case, the child's undesirable behavior by the parent is perceived as intentional behavior that leads to negative effects on the parent-child relationship. At the social level, due to the lack of awareness of the behavioral differences of the child with the disorder, parents are blamed for their parenting method and the child receives the wrong label. Parents typically cope with this social issue by concealing the disorder from the child and others and limiting family social relations, Which led to the loss of the companionship of the child and the support of society.
