Stress among parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most common neurobehavioral disorder among school age children. The aim of the study was to assess stress among parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A descriptive correlation design was utilized in the current study. A sample of convenience of 107 parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders who were attending to the outpatient clinic in the center for social and preventive medicine in Cairo university hospital for children. Three tools were utilized in the current study including socio-demographic characteristics and medical data, parent stress index, ADHD symptoms checklist child version. The result showed that more than half of the parents have high level of parent stress and more than half of the studied sample had moderate degree of ADHD symptoms. Findings revealed that, there was a highly statistically significant relationship was found between anxiety symptoms and ADHD total scores; however there was statistically significant relationship between place of residence and parent stress total scores. There was statistically significant relationship between sibling number and parent stress total scores. The study concluded that, managing of parenting stress of the family having children with ADHD can be challenging task facing the parents and psychiatric nurse. The findings highlight the importance of further investigation and differentiation specific child characteristics that are likely to influence level of parenting stress, including diagnostic categorization of the child.