Abstract
Objective:
The parents' empathic levels and family functions of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and co-occurrence of oppositional defiant disorder (ADHD/ODD) are evaluated and compared with each other.
Method:
Seventy subjects with ADHD only (n=44) and ADHD/ODD (n=26) were included in this study; who were chosen from 107 subjects consecutively referred to a child and adolescent mental health clinic and diagnosed with ADHD according to the DSM-IV criteria. Each of the parents was asked to rate themselves for empathic levels by using the Empathic Skills Scale and the Empathic Tendency Scale, and their family functions were evaluated with the Family Assessment Device.
Results:
There were no statistically significant differences between ADHD only group and ADHD/ODD group for parents' empathic levels. There was inverse correlation between mother’s empathic tendency scores and their children’s attentional problems for both two groups (r=-0.303). According to both of parents’ reports, their families of ADHD/ODD group had significantly higher rates of “abnormal behavior control" when compared with those of ADHD only group (p<0.05).
Discussion:
Our findings suggest that some family dysfunction, such as abnormal behavior control, but not parent's empathy may be important to determine the co-occurrence of ODD with ADHD.
Keywords: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, parent, empathy, family functions, children
