STRESS REDUCTION PILOT PROGRAM FOR MOTHERS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH ADHD: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH
CYNTHIA KEEFE, M.S., M.A.
ABSTRACT
The current study investigated the effectiveness of a stress reduction pilot program comprised of psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring therapy, communication skills training and stress management techniques on the parenting stress, attitude, and self-efficacy of mothers of adolescents with ADHD. After participating in the stress reduction pilot program it was hypothesized that mothers would report (a) a decrease in parental stress, (b) an increase in positive attitude toward their adolescent with ADHD, and (c) an increase in their self-efficacy as parents. Four mothers completed the non-concurrent multiple baseline study for which they filled out nightly self-rating on parenting stress, parenting attitude and parenting efficacy during baseline, intervention and follow-up phases. In addition, participants also completed pre- and post-test measures which included the 112-item Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA), the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the 25-item Index of Parental Attitudes, the 16-item Parenting Sense of Competency Scale (PSOC), a Program Satisfaction Questionnaire, and a Family and Adolescent Questionnaire.
Three out of four mothers reported a decrease in parenting stress and an increase in positive parenting attitude across multiple measures. Mothers reported a varied picture of parenting efficacy across multiple measures. Only two mothers reported increases in parenting efficacy across nightly self-ratings while three mothers reported increases in parenting efficacy on a standardized measure. These finding indicate that parenting efficacy might be the most difficult construct to change for this population. Initial evidence suggests that the stress reduction pilot program could provide a different therapeutic option for parents other than behavioral modification training programs by helping parents learn new skills to better navigate their son or daughter with ADHD through the difficulties of adolescence. Future research recommendations include addressing the specific limitations of the current study, expanding the sample population to include fathers, evaluating intervention components and their sequence separately, and translating the intervention into a group format. Additional research considerations include testing the concept of the larger qualitative experience of the wholeness of the stress reduction pilot program as the cause behind the change in constructs. This research direction could lead to new insights and help mothers of adolescents with ADHD further reduce their parenting stress, and improve their attitude towards their adolescent and their parenting sense of efficacy.