Psychodynamic Group Intervention With Parents of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Outcomes for Parents and Their Children

The study measured the impact of a psychodynamic group intervention on parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Outcomes of treatment for the 78 parents (perceived social support, parenting style, and self-efficacy) and their nontreated children (n = 78; self-efficacy and emotional/behavioral state) were compared with nontreatment parents at pre-post measurement. For treatment parents, a follow-up measurement was conducted. Treatment parents showed better outcomes than nontreatment parents on all measures. Children of treatment parents showed more favorable outcomes than children of nontreatment parents, further validating the impact of the intervention. The conclusion is that psychodynamic interventions that target broad characteristics of parenting are effective in bringing change to parents and children alike.