An Intensive Summer Treatment Program for ADHD Reduces Parent–Adolescent Conflict

Abstract

There are currently almost no treatment efforts to reduce parent–adolescent conflict in adolescents with ADHD. As such, this study investigated the effect of an intensive Summer Treatment Program for Adolescents with ADHD (STP-A) on parent–adolescent conflict. Twenty adolescents and their parents completed the 8 week behavioral treatment program, which included 320 hours of adolescent-directed treatment, 15 hours of parent behavior management training, and daily feedback from staff on parent implementation of a home-based behavioral contract. Results indicated that 70–85 % of adolescents who attended the STP-A demonstrated reliable improvement in parent–adolescent conflict from baseline to post-treatment. Treatment response was associated with higher levels of conflict at baseline, but not adolescent ODD severity or parent ADHD severity. Several patterns of treatment non-response were detected through visual examination of weekly conflict scores during the STP-A. Discussion suggests that intensive, parent-involved treatment programs may be necessary to improve home-conflict in adolescents with ADHD.