The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of PET on emotion and parental efficacy of parents with ADHD children. And also it was to prove the effects on decreasing ADHD symptoms by PET.
20 parents of ADHD children in medication was selected as objects from the Child Neuropsychiatric Clinics in Busan. Two groups were organized, 10 were in experimental group and treated by medication and PET, and 10 were in comparison group and treated medication only. Both groups got pre-test and post-test, and were confirmed as equivalent groups.
The experimental group attended PET once a week for 9 weeks in 3-hour weekly sessions. The comparison group got a post-test 9 weeks later from the pre-test. Both of groups were followed up after 2 months to evaluate the stability of treatment effects.
Treatment outcomes were evaluated by comparing both groups at pre-test and post-test used by the various rating scales like depression, anxiety, parenting stress, parental efficacy, and Conners ADHD scale.
This study was designed by purposive sampling and nonequivalent comparison groups design of a quasi-experimental design. And SPSS WIN 12.0 used as a statistical package. Data was analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVA of two factors spilt-plot (2 groups by 3 treatment times).
The major results of this study were as follows.
First, PET affected on decreasing depression of parents with ADHD children and the effects were maintained until 2 months after.
Second, PET did not affect on decreasing anxiety of parents with ADHD children.
Third, PET did not affect on decreasing parenting stress of parents with ADHD children.
Fourth, PET affected on increasing of parental efficacy and the effects were maintained until 2 months after.
Fifth, PET affected on decreasing Conners ADHD symptoms level, and the effects maintained until 2 months after.
In Conclusion, the result showed that PET affects on depression, parental efficacy of parents with ADHD children and decreasing of ADHD symptoms.
Accordingly, PET was proved as an effective intervention for the parents with ADHD children and a medication-parenting combined treatment. In addition, the fact that PET affects on decreasing ADHD symptoms was proved.