Family Functioning in Children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder

AbstractAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder affects many aspects of a child's life. It impacts on the child and also on parents and siblings, causing disturbances to family functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate family functioning in the parents of children with ADHD. Families of children with ADHD and those of comparison controls were administered 2 forms of family functioning questionnaire; the Chulalongkorn Family Inventory (CFI) and general function scale from the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). The sample consisted of 30 families of children with ADHD and 30 control families. The sociodemographic characteristics were not significantly different between both groups. The families of children with ADHD scored higher at the level of unhealthy function scale of the FAD functioning than those of controls on the general. Also the CFI scores were lower in the families of children with ADHD. reflecting poorer function, The family functioning scores of ADHD families were less healthy than those of the control group