Assessment of perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment levels of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Assessment of perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment levels of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Objective: This study aimed to assess the perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment levels of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: This study included 64 children aged 9 to 12 who were diagnosed with ADHD and 52 healthy children and their parents. Children were evaluated with ‘Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version’. The Parental Acceptance-Rejection QuestionnaireChild Form, Personality Assessment Questionnaire and a Personal Information Questionnaire formed by the researchers have been used as data collection tools. Results: In this study in which ADHD and control groups were compared, it was found that children diagnosed with ADHD perceived parental rejection more and had worse psychological adjustment than those without the diagnosis. Children with ADHD reported more rejection from the mother whereas children in the control group reported less care from the father. Conclusion: This study is exceptionally important in terms of demonstrating perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment of children with ADHD. Besides, it has been seen that depending on the presence of ADHD, the child’s perceived parental acceptance-rejection is differently affected from the mother and the father. The findings on acceptance-rejection, in addition to giving helpful clues for ADHD family education, they will be also helpful in studies to improve the psychological assessment of these children.