Internalized stigma and self esteem of mothers of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ABSTRACT Evidence suggests that caregivers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience greater internalized stigmatization. However, there is no evidence of how self-esteem influences the levels of internalized stigma among parents of children with ADHD in Turkey. This study investigated for the first time the relationship between internalized stigma and self-esteem of mothers of children with ADHD and examined the relationship between mothers’ internalized stigma and ADHD severity of children. The sample included mothers of 86 children (65 boys and 21 girls) diagnosed with ADHD. Age of children was between 6 and 17 years old (M = 11.05, SD = 2.62). Participants completed the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale–Revised Short Form, the Clinical Global Impression, the Parents’ Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The results showed that mothers with higher education level reported lower internalized stigma, while ADHD severity of children was positively correlated with mothers’ internalized stigma level. The results also indicated that children with ADHD severity predicted a significant amount of variance in stigma. Furthermore, self-esteem uniquely predicted mother’s internalized stigma over and above the mother’s education level and ADHD severity of children. The results suggest the importance of self-esteem on internalized stigma and contribute to development of interventions focusing on the role of self-esteem on parents’ internalized stigma.