Setare Haddad kashani; abbasali hossein khanzadeh; Abbas Abolghasemi
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are two prevalent behavioral disorders among children, with the inclusion of these children within a family typically having a significant impact on the functioning of other family members. When the psychological ...
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are two prevalent behavioral disorders among children, with the inclusion of these children within a family typically having a significant impact on the functioning of other family members. When the psychological well-being of parents of children with developmental disorders is compromised, it can lead to adverse outcomes such as feelings of deprivation and increased levels of anxiety, stress, and depression among parents of typically developing children (Sheikhul Islami et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2017). The distinct characteristics and needs of children grappling with psychological difficulties often lead to parents experiencing a sense of stress and feeling ill-equipped in terms of parenting skills. Research indicates that mothers of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tend to endure higher levels of parenting stress compared to mothers of typically developing children (Yousfi et al., 2018; Kazemi, 2015; Ershad Sarabi et al., Kurdistan, 1394). Research findings indicate that when parents' mental health is compromised, their levels of hope, optimism, tolerance, and resilience diminish, affecting their capacity to effectively handle challenges. This, in turn, reduces their self-efficacy in parenting and can have negative effects on the individual's psychological well-being. Studies have demonstrated that families with children with special needs often display lower levels of psychological capital and its components, as asserted by Birami et al. Previous research has focused on the impacts of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder or training interventions aimed at enhancing parental skills. However, studies to date have not concurrently examined the effects of these disorders on two components relevant to parents that can simultaneously exhibit positive and negative consequences derived from the disorder when compared to parents of typically developing children. The objective of this research is to investigate the following question: Is there a significant difference in parenting stress and psychological capital between parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and typically developing children?Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Parental Stress, Psychological Capital. Extended AbstractMethodThe research methodology adopted in this study is of a comparative scientific nature. The study's statistical population consists of the parents of elementary school boys (grades 1 to 3) during the academic year 1997-1998 in Kashan City.This study utilized a comparative scientific approach, drawing a sample of 57 parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 50 parents of children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and 42 parents of typically developing children from the aforementioned statistical population. Individuals from the identified statistical population who met the eligibility criteria for the study were thoughtfully selected. Subsequently, the parents were provided with Parenting Stress and Psychological Capital questionnaires to complete. The collected data was subsequently analyzed using the SPSS software, employing both the multivariate analysis of variance and the Kruskal-Wallis statistical methods.Findings The Shapiro-Wilk test results indicated that the data distribution for the stress variable was normal, while the distribution for the psychological capital variable was non-normal. Consequently, parametric tests were applied for analyzing the stress variable data, while non-parametric tests were employed for assessing the psychological capital variable data. Based on the significance of the F statistic from the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) test for the parenting stress component (Box's: 369.36, p < 0.00), it can be inferred that the covariance matrix for the stress variable is not equivalent across the groups. Furthermore, due to the significance of Bartlett's chi-square statistic for the parenting stress component (1104.698, p < 0.00, x^2 = 2), it can be deduced that a significant relationship exists among the components. Due to these findings, it is appropriate to employ a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test in this situation.The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) Test was utilized to investigate parenting stress among parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and typically developing children. The outcomes of the test exhibit a substantial effect of group on the linear combination of the dependent variable. This suggests that there is a remarkable divergence between the typical parenting challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder in terms of the stress experienced by parents. Additionally, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was deployed to investigate the psychological capital component among the three groups of parents, uncovering a significant divergence in psychological capital levels across the groups.DiscussionThe findings demonstrated that parenting stress varied significantly across three groups. Additionally, the results indicated that parents of typically developing children display higher levels of psychological capital compared to parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and those with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. It is important to note the complicated relationship between these individuals, wherein a shift in one individual can swiftly impact the other. When a child within the family struggles with behavioral disorders, it can pose significant challenges for all individuals who interact with them. One of these challenges involves enduring high levels of stress (Talebi et al., 2017). Consequently, it can be deduced that the distinctive characteristics of children with emotional behavioral disorders have considerable unfavorable impacts on both the children themselves and their close relationships, particularly their parents. Parents who lack the necessary communication skills to effectively engage with these children face substantial challenges, and in addition to the intrinsic stresses of parenting, these parents also suffer from additional strain.The parenting stress endured by these parents exacerbates the children's behavior, further intensifying parental stress, ensuing in a cascading series of emotional behavior. This cyclical pattern generates a vicious cycle that exacerbates the inherent issues for both parents and children. Additionally, the research indicated that parents of children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) showcased lower levels of psychological capital compared to parents of typically developing children and those with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).The components of psychological capital, such as hope, optimism, self-efficacy, and resilience, play a crucial role in the parent-child relationship, as demonstrated by the findings. 1. Raising a child with an emotional behavioral disorder significantly impacts the perceptions, emotions, perspectives, and values of their parents, resulting in experiences that diminish the psychological well-being of parents with children who have Oppositional Defiant Disorder compared to parents of typically developing children. Consequently, they experience diminished capacity to use appropriate techniques while dealing with these children, resulting in an inability to effectively diffuse conflicts. A decrease in parents' psychological capital can result in increased negative behaviors in children, which exacerbates the issue and leads to elevated self-displeasure and disillusionment due to mishandling the situation. Therefore, this problem persists indefinitely because of its cyclic nature.Ethical ConsiderationsThis study strictly adhered to ethical guidelines, in accordance with the Master's thesis by Setara Haddad Kashani from the Department of Psychology at Gilan University, dated 04/2018. Ethical considerations, including maintaining confidentiality, obtaining informed consent from participants' parents, and protecting the identity information, were thoroughly upheld throughout the entire research process.AcknowledgementI sincerely thank all the friends, professors, and parents who have cooperated with us in undertaking this research.