The association between children's ADHD subtype and parenting stress and parental symptoms

Abstract

Objective. To investigate the association between two attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes—combined and inattentive subtypes—and parental stress in a Taiwanese population. Method. One hundred and nine children with ADHD were interviewed using the MINI Kid questionnaire. The children were divided into combined and inattentive subtypes. The level of parenting stress was measured with the self-report Parenting Stress Index and Parental Symptom Scale (Symptom Check List, SCL-90). The data were used to identify child and parental risk factors. Results. Combined subtype was highly associated with parental stress. Parents of children in this group were significantly younger, had a poorer understanding of ADHD, and had significantly higher levels of marital discord, parenting stress, parental symptoms, and life stress (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that age of mother, child with comorbidity diagnosis, and parents with poor understanding of ADHD were significantly associated with the combined subtype relative to inattentive subtype (all P<0.05). Conclusion. The combined subtype of ADHD is associated with more parental psychopathology and stress than the inattentive subtype and the presence of combined subtype may indicate that such a child is at greater risk than the inattentive subtype for comorbid conditions such as oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder.