The effect of behavioral parent training of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on parents� mental health

Background: Parents� mental health can be impacted by sleep problems experienced by children diagnosed with ADHD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of group-based behavioral parent training (BPT) related to sleep problems of children with ADHD on parents� mental health. Methods: A parallel randomized controlled trial design was used in this study. Participants included 58 parents of school-age children with ADHD who had at least one sleep problem and who were known to medical services in a psychiatric clinic in Rasht city, Iran. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups equally. Participants in the intervention group received a 5-week BPT intervention program related to sleep problems of ADHD children including 3 sessions group-based training and 2 telephone follow-up. Data were collected before and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software. Results: The findings revealed two months after the intervention, participants in the intervention group had a significant improvement in the anxiety (p = 0.01) and stress (p = 0.02) levels compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results suggest that group-based BPT related to sleep problems of children with ADHD could be an effective strategy in improving parents' mental health. © 2020 Elsevier Gmb