Parenting stress and coping strategies in mothers with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the relationship between parenting stress and coping strategies of mothers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The sample consisted of 143 mothers with a child who had been diagnosed with ADHD. The mothers completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CAE) and the Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF). The results showed that mothers experienced high levels of stress and they tended to use coping strategies focused on problem solving. Meaningful differences were found between parenting stress and coping strategies according to sociodemographic characteristics. Negative correlations between parenting stress and coping strategies showed that coping strategies focused on problem solving were associated with lower levels of stress. Besides, positive correlations between parenting stress and coping strategies showed that higher levels of emotional coping strategies were associated with higher levels of parenting stress.