Medication Improves Parenting Skills In Adults With ADHD

First Posted: Aug 01, 2014 02:57 AM EDT
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Medication helps improve parenting skills of adults with ADHD, reveals a new study by Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

ADHD - Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - is not just a childhood problem. This mental health condition affects 1 in every 20 adults, mainly men. Although this condition starts early in childhood, in some cases its symptoms persist in adulthood as well. The condition is exhibited by difficulty in maintaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. The current study led by James Waxmonsky, associate professor of psychiatry, looked at the effects of medication for adults with ADHD.

It is estimated that nearly 25 percent of the clinic-referred children with ADHD have a parent with the same condition. The researchers found that when treated with medication, parenting skills improve in parents with ADHD.

"Parents with ADHD are at increased risk to engage in problematic parenting techniques, including inconsistent disciplinary practices, making ineffectual commands and diminished use of praise," said Waxmonsky. "Having a parent with ADHD also decreases the chances that children with ADHD will respond to typically effective medication or counseling treatment."

The study focused on 20 parents of children aged between 5-12 years, in which both parents have ADHD. The parents were evaluated to determine the optimal dosage of lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) and then stabilized on the medicine.

In the set of the study, both the parents and children were brought to lab on two various occasions and were kept under observation while completing the typical parenting tasks. Each standardized interaction included a homework component and a non-academic component.  

In the homework task, the parents were asked to guide the children in completing schoolwork. In the non-academic work, parents and children played together and the parents were then made to complete some paperwork and the children were asked to play.

During the study period, the parents were either given lisdexamfetamine or a placebo for the first observation and the opposite for the second. But, neither the researchers nor the parents knew when the active medication was received.

"The results of the first phase showed no medication effect was seen during the homework component. During the non-academic component, parents on lisdexamfetamine rather than on placebo were less likely to make negative statements toward their children. Children showed less inappropriate behavior during the homework task when their parent was prescribed lisdexamfetamine versus placebo," researchers explain.

In the second phase, parents had a 50 percent chance of staying on active medication or a 50 percent chance of changing to placebo. The parent-child task was completed in the first phase.

The second phase results revealed that parents who received lisdexamfetamine made fewer commands and were more responsive to their child and praised their child more than parents who took placebo.

Also, these parents spoke less than those who took placebo during homework task. However, no difference was noticed during the non-academic task. They were less demanding than those parents who took placebo.

"In the laboratory setting, lisdexamfetamine treatment of parental ADHD was associated with significant reductions in children's negative behaviors and improvements in parenting behaviors found to be adversely impacted by ADHD," Waxmonsky said.

Researchers noticed that ADHD medication improves adults' capacity to adjust to their parenting behaviors to the task at hand.

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