The role of adult attachment in attaining marital cohesion among parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The present study aimed to explore the influence of adult attachment on relationship quality in parents of children with ADHD. A cross-sectionalmethod design was used to address the research objective. Two groups of participants were employed: parents of children with ADHD, and parents of children without ADHD. Three established questionnaires were used; Conners Parental rating Scale (CPRS), for diagnosing children with ADHD, Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), for measuring relationship quality, and Experience in Close Relationship (ECR) for measuring attachment stylesof the parents.The result from them hierarchical multiple regressionsshowthat attachment style moderated the impact of having a child with ADHD on marital cohesion in the couple. In other words, having a child with ADHD was found to be affected by marital cohesion in the condition of high avoidance, but it was found to be unaffected by marital cohesion in the condition of low avoidance.This shows that the framework provided by Attachment Theory can potentially provide a unique understanding of the way in which adults function in terms of their interpersonal relationships. It is proposed that this research can make a contribution towards relevant intervention programs to facilitate support for parents of children with ADHD by emphasizing the importance of the attachment. In particular the findings of this research might inform interventions to enhance relationship satisfaction in parents of children with ADHD, and the behavior of the children with ADHD will be improved as an implication of their parents’ relationship satisfaction