The Effectiveness of Friends Training Program on Executive Activity and Self-Control of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Friends training program on executive functioning and self-control of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In terms of the purpose, the current research was of an applied type, and in terms of the method, based on the research design and method, it was a semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design (with an experimental group and a control group and a three-month follow-up period). The statistical population used in the current study included all children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder referred to child and adolescent psychotherapy centers in Tehran's 12th district in 2022. Among these people, 40 people were selected using the purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned to an experimental group (20 people) and a control group (20 people). Then, it was implemented on the experimental group of Barrett’s (1999) Friends training program. In order to collect data, the research tools included the executive behavior questionnaire of Gerard et al. (2010) and the self-control questionnaire of Tangney et al. (2004). The F-value and the significance of executive action variables (F = 10.15 and P = 0.001) and self-control (F = 8.62 and P = 0.001) were obtained. It can be concluded that the independent variable (Friends training program) has significantly changed the dependent variables (executive behavior and self-control). Therefore, it can be concluded that the changes made in the dependent variables were caused by the implementation of the Friends training program on the experimental group. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the Friends training program was effective on executive behavior and self-control of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, it is suggested that experts benefit from the techniques of this approach in their work.