J Korean Med Sci.  2022 Mar;37(11):e89. 10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e89.

Effect of Maternal Anxiety on Parenting Stress of Fathers of Children With ADHD

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • 2Department of Nursing, Masan University, Masan, Korea

Abstract

Background
Hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increase parenting stress and familial conflict. Among parentrelated factors, maternal mental health has been studied in-depth, but studies on paternal factors in this context are scarce. This cross-sectional study was conducted of children with ADHD and their parents in South Korea. We investigated the relationships between ADHD symptom severity of children and the mental health of their mothers and fathers.
Methods
The study included 70 children with ADHD and their 140 married heterosexual parents (70 fathers and 70 mothers). Children completed the Child Depression Inventory and State-Anxiety Inventory for children, and their parents completed the Korean ADHD rating scale-IV, Adult ADHD self-report scale, State-Anxiety Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Parental Stress Scale.
Results
There was a significant positive correlation between children’s ADHD symptoms and maternal anxiety symptom severity, whereby more severe ADHD symptoms were associated with more severe maternal anxiety symptoms. There was also a significant positive correlation between maternal anxiety symptom severity and paternal parenting stress severity, whereby more severe maternal anxiety was associated with more severe paternal parenting stress. A mediation model showed that paternal parenting stress severity was not directly related to children’s ADHD symptoms, but the severity of maternal anxiety mediated this relationship.
Conclusion
The present study found the importance of mental health in mothers of children with ADHD and the interrelatedness of mental health within families. Future assessments and treatment of children with ADHD should include both the children and their parents.

Keyword

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; Parenting; Maternal Anxiety; Paternal Stress; Parent-Child Relations

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Model depicting the effects of ADHD symptoms and fathers’ parenting stress.ADHD = attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.*P < 0.05, **P < 0.01.


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