Mindfulness-Enhanced Behavioral Parent Training for Clinic-Referred Families of Children With ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Janet W. T. Mah, Candice Murray, Jake Locke, Nicole Carbert
Abstract
Objective: This study evaluated the efficacy of a mindfulness-enhanced behavioral parent training (BPT) group program compared to standard BPT in families of children with ADHD. Method: Parents ( N = 63) of children (aged 6–11) diagnosed with ADHD were randomly assigned to either mindful or standard BPT, and participated in 12 weekly 2-hr group sessions. Parents completed a series of questionnaires assessing mindful parenting, parenting stress, harsh discipline practices, behavioral dysregulation, and child ADHD symptoms, before and after completing the group intervention. Results: Parents in the mindful group had decreased harsh discipline practices and improved self-regulation compared to parents in the standard group. Both groups improved in parenting sense of competence and child ADHD symptoms. No significant group differences were found in mindful parenting or parenting stress. Conclusion: There are some important parental benefits to enhancing BPT with mindfulness.