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Home » Would Treating Kids With ADHD Help Their Mothers?

Would Treating Kids With ADHD Help Their Mothers?

March 13, 2019
Pavan Madan, MD.
From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report
Issue Links: Learning Objectives | Editorial Information | PDF of Issue
Pavan Madan, MD. Dr. Madan has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.
Review of: Gokcen C et al, J Child Adolesc Psychopharm 2018;28(5):350–353

Parenting a child with ADHD can be challenging. Parents often report feeling stressed, burned out, or depressed while caring for their children with ADHD. When ADHD medications lead to significant improvements in a child’s behavior, can that alleviate symptoms in parents? A recently published study tried to examine that.

Investigators enrolled 40 children between the ages of 4 and 10 years with ADHD at an outpatient clinic in Turkey. Twenty-one children completed the 8-week study and were prescribed methylphenidate (15), atomoxetine (3), or, surprisingly, risperidone (3). Researchers assessed the kids with a parent rating scale based on the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) (Turgay-DSM-IV-S). They simultaneously assessed the kids’ mothers for depression and burnout symptoms using Beck’s Depression Inventory and the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

At the follow-up visit, the researchers found that children showed improvement in their scores of inattention (14.8±6.9 vs 11±8), hyperactivity (18±6.5 vs 10.5±8), ODD (11.6±6.4 vs 7.6±6.3), and CD (4.9±6.2 vs 2±3.7) symptoms. Moreover, their mothers also showed improvement in depression (14.5±7.7 vs 10.4±6.5) and burnout (18.3±10.6 vs 13±9.5). Interestingly, the improvement in mothers’ burnout symptoms correlated with kids’ ODD and CD symptoms (r = 0.5 and p = 0.02 for both), and improvement in mothers’ depression symptoms correlated with CD symptoms in kids (r = 0.47, p = 0.03). Changes in mothers’ symptoms did not correlate with the changes in children’s inattention and hyperactivity symptoms.

CCPR’S TAKE
This study suggests that improvement in ODD and CD symptoms in children with ADHD is associated with a decrease in burnout and depression symptoms in mothers. However, the findings of this study are difficult to generalize due to small sample size (40), high dropout rate (47.5%), lack of a control group, and an unclear separation between the pre-treatment and post-treatment scores. Furthermore, the authors did not disclose the rationale or dosage for the medications selected; they also did not disclose the psychiatric treatment status of the mothers. When evaluating a child for ADHD symptoms, comorbid disorders like ODD and CD must be assessed and addressed appropriately. Treatment of children with ADHD can lead to healthier interactions at home and school.
Child Psychiatry
KEYWORDS adhd child_psychiatry research-update working-with-families
Pavan Madan, MD.

The Evidence Base for Polypharmacy in ADHD

More from this author
www.thecarlatreport.com
Issue Date: March 13, 2019
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Table Of Contents
CME Post-Test - Trauma in Children and Adolescents, CCPR, March/April 2019
Would Treating Kids With ADHD Help Their Mothers?
Is Watching ‘13 Reasons Why’ Bad for Teens?
How Helpful Is Computerized Testing for ADHD?
Psychiatric Aspects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Children and Adolescents
Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Young Adults
Building Self-Regulation in Children
Practicalities of Providing Volunteer Services for Youth Refugees or Asylum Seekers
Evaluating the Mortality Risks of Antipsychotics in Children and Youths
Note From the Editor-in-Chief
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