7th Edition of World Nursing Science Conference 2027

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] is oftentimes described as a chronic and debilitating disorder that greatly impacts individual’s daily functioning, professional achievements and interpersonal relationships. In addition, parents raising children with ADHD experience daily stressors that result from challenging behaviors, parental burnout, conflict resolution and social stigma. Prior to this project, the neurodevelopmental clinic did not have a documented screening tool specifically targeting parental stressors induced by raising children with an ADHD diagnosis. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to identify potential parental stressors and to provide stress reduction tools that will manage and/or eliminate parental stress. Twenty-six parents who had a child with an ADHD diagnosis, being treated at the neurodevelopmental clinic, agreed to participate in a 4-week research analysis project. The participants were presented with a parental stress scale survey during their child’s clinic appointment which asked feelings and perceptions about their experience of being a parent. After completion of the parental stress scale survey, results were calculated and parents were then placed in a separate room in which an educational session was ensued. In the educational session, parents were educated about different methods that could be utilized to reduce parental stressors. Furthermore, parents were then asked to use the stress reduction tools for 4 weeks followed by a post-parental stress scale survey to determine if stressors were reduced. Parental stress scale surveys have a total score range between 18-90, where a higher score indicates greater parental stress. For the pre-test, scores ranged from 21 to 80 and were normally distributed. For the respondents that completed both the pre-test and post-test, parental stress decreased from an average score of 43.88 on the pre-test to an average score of 40.00 on the post-test. Early identification combined with management of parental stressors showed reduction and improvements in parental stress.