Needs Assessment: Communication Challenges for Parents of Adolescents with ADHD

A needs-based assessment of parent-adolescent communication (PAC) between parents and their adolescents with ADHD will be conducted to develop a parenting skills class that includes motivational interviewing (MI) skills to address the challenges of PAC in a developmentally appropriate way. Qualitative interviews with both parents and their adolescent children with ADHD will be conducted. The interviews will include open-ended questions regarding parent concerns about their adolescent’s behaviors, parent-child communication patterns, and parent stress. The transcripts of the interviews will be analyzed in order to identify themes that emerge, and a focus group will be conducted to test the validity of these themes. This information will be used to develop a parenting skills class, specifically using MI, that is targeted towards parents of adolescents with ADHD.

PI: Alison Duncan, MD

Funding Acknowledgements: AACAP Pilot Research Award for Attention Disorders, supported by AACAP’s Elaine Schlosser Lewis Fund and the Gennaro Acampora Junior Investigator Pilot Award