The role of maternal attributions in treatment acceptability of interventions for problem behaviour in children with ADHD

Abstract

Studies have found that a range of interventions, involving psychosocial or medication treatments can lead to reductions in childhood problem behaviour (e.g. Brosnan & Healy, 2011; Connor, Barkley, & Davis, 2000). Treatment acceptability has been implicated as one important factor in understanding why parents vary in their likelihood of engaging with interventions (Kazdin, 1980a). A range of variables have been found to moderate parental treatment acceptability. Recently, attention has been given to parental attributions for their child’s problem behaviour as a potential moderator of treatment acceptability, but there has been little evaluation of existing evidence for such a relationship. Systematic searches of existing literatures on both parental treatment acceptability of interventions for childhood problem behaviour and parental attributions for problem behaviour were therefore conducted and reviewed. Preliminary evidence for the potential importance of a link between parental attributions and treatment acceptability was found, but as yet, few studies have specifically addressed this link and a need for further, methodologically rigorous research was identified.
The empirical paper explored whether the attributions for problem behaviour in their 6- to 11-year-olds with ADHD (N = 59), were related to how acceptable mothers found medication, child social-skills training and a parenting intervention as treatments for problem behaviour. Demographic information and reports of severity of their child’s ADHD and problem behaviours and diagnosis and treatment history were collected. Results showed that prior experience of medication was significantly positively correlated with medication acceptability. No significant relationships between maternal attributions and treatment acceptability were found. Limitations of the study are considered and implications for researchers and educational psychologists are discussed.

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ORCID for Hanna Kovshoff: orcid.org/0000-0001-6041-0376

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