Parents psychopathology of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Parents of kids with ADHD carry much higher loads of ADHD, depression, and alcohol use—so assess the whole family, not just the child.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Margari et al. (2013) looked at parents of kids with ADHD. They asked: do these parents have more mental-health issues than parents of kids without ADHD?
The team ran a case-series study. They compared rates of ADHD, depression, and alcohol use in the two parent groups.
What they found
Parents of children with ADHD showed higher rates of ADHD symptoms, depressive disorders, and alcohol use. The differences were large enough to matter in daily practice.
How this fits with other research
Gau et al. (2013) and Lee et al. (2013) echo the same warning. Both found that when moms are depressed, kids with ADHD get harsher, more controlling parenting and fewer warm moments.
Takeda et al. (2012) extend the picture to dads. They show that fathers’ mental-health issues link to internalizing comorbidities in their ADHD children.
Lee et al. (2016) pull the camera back. Their meta-analysis confirms that ADHD slashes quality of life for the child. Together these papers sketch a loop: parent psychopathology worsens child outcomes, and child ADHD stresses the parents.
Why it matters
If you treat only the child, you miss half the case. Screen both parents at intake for ADHD, depression, and substance use. A brief questionnaire takes two minutes and can flag who needs a referral. When parents get their own support, homework compliance and home behavior plans improve.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a disorder with extremely complex etiology, not yet well defined but certainly multi-factorial. This study investigated the possible etiopathogenetic role of ADHD symptoms and psychopathology disorders in parents of children with ADHD. We present a case-control study of parents of 50 children affected by ADHD and of 45 healthy children, matched to age and gender. Parents of ADHD children reported higher levels of ADHD symptoms, depressive disorders and Depressive Personality Disorders than parents of healthy children. Mothers displayed greater presence of depression, while fathers showed problems concerning alcohol use. The occurrence of ADHD symptoms, psychopathology and personality disorders in parents highlights the importance to integrate the treatment programs in the ADHD children with the screening and treatment for psychopathological symptoms of the parents.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.12.001