| The purpose of this research was to describe the presence and degree of parenting stress associated with the disruptive behavior of children with ADHD. The Disruptive Behavior Stress Inventory (DBSI) developed by J. Johnson and S. Reader (2002) was used with a sample of 75 parents of 5 to 12 year old children. Stress Experience and Stress Degree scores were analyzed to determine rankings, differences for ADHD subtype groups, and differences for medication status groups. A significant difference was found in Stress Experience scores for parents of ADHD, combined type and ADHD, inattentive type; with higher scores for the combined type (p = .000). Significantly higher Stress Degree scores were found for the combined group (p = .001), when compared to the inattentive group. No difference was found for medication groups. This study provides the impetus to increase referrals for counseling and to advocate for parents in the school setting. |
