Evaluation of the Effects of Positive Parenting Program on Symptoms of Preschool Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: Positive Parenting Program (Triple-P) is an approved method of parent training for reducing child behavioral problems. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of standard level of Triple-P in improving behavioral problems and core Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms of preschool children diagnosed with ADHD.  Methods: The study was conducted on 94 mothers who had preschool children with ADHD (53 subjects and 41 controls), referred to child psychiatry clinic at Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The subjects were selected by purposive sampling method. Mothers with adjusted homogeneous demographic factors responded to study questionnaires (pre-test and post-test) in both groups. The subject group received child-rearing intervention Triple-p and the control group received the routine clinical treatment. The obtained data were analyzed by analysis of covariance in SPSS. Results: A significant decrease was observed in ADHD symptoms based on Conner’s questionnaire in the subjects compared to controls (P=0.001). Parent depression index in the subject group was significant compared to control group (P=0.005). In addition, results related to parent problem scale in the subject group indicated a significant impr­­ovement compared to control group (P=0.001).  Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the Triple-p can reduce ADHD symptoms and behavioral problems and improve the capabilities of preschool children with ADHD.