The Effectiveness of child-based working memory training on the parent-child interaction of children with attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder

Interactional patterns are conflicting in parent and child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADH (; And there are few effective treatments for them. Therefore, this study aimed the effectiveness of child-based working memory educational program on the parent-child interaction of children with ADHD.   

The research method was quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test, follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all children 7 to 10 years with ADHD who referred to the Asal counseling center in Tehran in the second half of 2022. Among them, thirty children with ADHD were selected based on inclusion criteria and by purposive sampling method and randomly were placement into two groups (15 people). Child-based working memory educational program was performed simultaneously for each child and mother in 12 sessions of 45 minutes, and the control group was on the waiting list. The research instrument included Parent-Child Relationship Survey (Fine et al., 1983). The data were analyzed using repeated measure of covariance analysis in SPSS23 software. 

The results showed that there was a significant difference between the parent-child interaction in experimental and control groups; And child-based working memory educational program increased the parent-child interaction (F= 4.40, P<0.05) and the components of hate/loss of mother's role (F= 9.61, P<0.05), and communication (F= 4.37, P<0.05) of children with ADHD, and the effect of this therapeutic intervention was stable in the follow-up phase (P<0.05).      

Based on the obtained results, the intervention program used emphasized on the decrease symptoms of the communication between parents and children, has improved the parent-child interaction of children with ADHD. Therefore, it can be of interest to clinical psychologists as one of the major axes of improving parent-child interaction.