PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP FOR PARENTS WITH CHILDREN HAVING THE ATTENTION DEFICIENT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Abstract

In this article, we raise the question about necessity to provide psychological help for parents with children having the Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and such families at whole during children’s treatment and development. The help for parents is determined by their influence on health and personal development of their children: the psychological climate as a background of children’s development and growth influences their future health and social success.  Parents need specialized psychological help because of peculiarities of ADHD children’s behavior and because parents have their own social and psychological problems, such as high stress, depression, aggressiveness, conflict etc. ADHD is a hereditary disorder that is why, when assisting the family, it is relevant to identify and correct parents disorders, related to ADHD. Attention is drawn to the fact that, thanks to the modern research, knowledge about the scientifically sound causes of ADHD is upgraded, and parents also need to know it and take into account in the education and development of their ADHD children. As usual parents do not understand that behavioural problems and attention disorders of their children are based on biological disorders of the brain areas, and therefore children need a special attitude and developmental conditions, but not punishments. Because of  the wide range of social and psychological problems faced by the family with ADHD children (low living standards, parental alcoholism, parental stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, etc), the treatment of ADHD children should be based on the comprehensive multimodal approach combining medical (pharmacological) interventions, psychological correction of behavior and development of children's and teenager's cognitive functions,  as well as information for parents and pedagogues and psychological assistance to parents. The main directions of psychological assistance to parents with ADHD children are defined: information for parents education to  improve  their knowledge about the disorder;  family psychological therapy to  normalize  marital relations, optimization of hierarchical relationships in the family;  psychotherapy and  correction of  parents  emotional  states,  so that the parent would develop effective strategies of  parenting  and children’s development. Psychological help for parents with children having the Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder has to be individual. &nbsp