Effect of Parent Management Training on Attention, Response Prevention, Impulsivity and Vigilance of Boys with Attention Deficient/Hyperactive Disorder

Executive function of the brain consists of organizing, shifting attention, monitoring, self-regulating, inhibition and working memory, which are diversely affected in attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parent management training (PMT) is a major intervention for ADHD with significant impact on clinical symptoms. However, little is known about its effect on cognitive aspects of ADHD.
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of parent management training (PMT) on attention, response prevention, impulsivity, and vigilance of males with ADHD as well as their clinical symptoms.
In this clinical trial, 32 subjects were recruited from a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic in Tabriz, Iran. Participants (all males) were divided to 2 groups. One group received routine clinical care plus 8 sessions of PMT and the other group only received routine clinical care as a control group. Clinical symptoms were evaluated by Conner’s rating scale and performance of children in terms of executive function was tested by the continuous performance test (CPT) and Go/ no Go test before and after the intervention. A follow-up measurement was performed at week 12. Using SPSS 17.0 statistics, chi-square and independent-sample t tests were used to compare sample means. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (time-treatment interaction) was also performed.
Parent management training had a higher effect on hyperactivity (P = 0.032) and oppositional (P = 0.007) symptoms of children. Commission errors (reflecting impulsivity and response prevention), omission errors (reflecting inattention), and reaction time (reflecting vigilance) in Go/no Go test were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Omission errors in CPT and the reaction time significantly improved in PMT and routine clinical care (RCC) group (P = 0.032).
Parent management training may improve executive functions in children with ADHD in terms of reaction time and omission errors.