The effect of behavioral parent training of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on parents’ mental health

Abstract Background Parents’ mental health can be impacted by sleep problems experienced by children diagnosed with ADHD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of group-based behavioral parent training (BPT) related to sleep problems of children with ADHD on parents’ mental health. Methods A parallel randomized controlled trial design was used in this study. Participants included 58 parents of school-age children with ADHD who had at least one sleep problem and who were known to medical services in a psychiatric clinic in Rasht city, Iran. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups equally. Participants in the intervention group received a 5-week BPT intervention program related to sleep problems of ADHD children including 3 sessions group-based training and 2 telephone follow-up. Data were collected before and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics via the SPSS software. Results The findings revealed two months after the intervention, participants in the intervention group had a significant improvement in the anxiety (p = 0.01) and stress (p = 0.02) levels compared to the control group. Conclusion The results suggest that group-based BPT related to sleep problems of children with ADHD could be an effective strategy in improving parents' mental health.