Stress experiences of mothers of children with ADHD: significant coping strategies that safeguard their mental health

Stress experiences of mothers of children with ADHD: significant coping strategies that safeguard their mental health. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 17 (SUPP3). pp. 14-21. ISSN 2636-9346 (2021)



Abstract

Introduction: Being a mother is a challenging task that comes with its occasional stress. This is especially true when taking care of a child with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is important to understand the association between the stress experienced by the mothers with their mental health and the type of coping strategies that could be a buffer for them. This study examined the relationship between parental stress, coping strategies, and depressive symptoms among mothers of children with ADHD in which a significant interaction between these variables were hypothesized.

Materials and Methods: A total of 94 Malay mothers with a mean age of 39.67 participated in a workshop related to ADHD in which a questionnaire was provided to them that consists of Parental Stress Inventory-Short Form (PSI-SF), Brief-COPE, and Centre of Epidemiological Study-Depression (CES-D) scales. Multiple regression was then used to analyse the interaction between the variables.

Results: Stress from parental sacrifices (β = 0.61, p < 0.001), stress from behavioural expression (β = -0.57, p < 0.05), problem-focused coping (β = -0.72, p < 0.001), and coping through social support (β = -0.82, p < 0.001) was found to be a significant predictor to depressive symptoms. Problem-focused coping was found to significantly moderate the relationship between parental sacrifice and depressive symptoms (β = -0.053, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Mothers who are experiencing parental stress are at risk of increase in depressive symptoms but can be mitigated with problem-focused coping strategies.

Item Type: Article
Keywords: Mothers, ADHD, Coping, Mental health, Parental stress, Depression
Taxonomy: By Subject > Medicine > Psychiatry
Local Content Hub: Subjects > Medicine
Depositing User: Adi Azri Mohamad (Sg. Buloh)
Date Deposited: 16 Feb 2022 09:47
Last Modified: 17 Feb 2022 04:22
Related URLs:

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item