Family-directed interventions may help manage ADHD, study finds

MORE emphasis on family-directed interventions may help management of children with ADHD, Australian experts say.

Researchers compared quality of life and parenting styles in 30 families of seven-year-old children with parent- and teacher-reported ADHD symptoms against the characteristics of 156 control families.

Emotional impact and family activities were negatively affected in families of a child with ADHD compared with families where ADHD was not an issue, after controlling for socio-demographic factors.

Parents of children with ADHD had higher rates of anxiety and stress, they found.

In addition, 53% of parents with a child screening positive for ADHD had depression in the clinical range, compared with only 15% of parents whose children screened negative for ADHD.

Having a child with ADHD also affected parenting styles, with parents of children with ADHD reporting lower parental warmth, and less consistent and more hostile