Parenting Stress and Coping Strategies among Parents of Children with ADHD in China

Little is known about the sources of parenting stress and the coping strategies adopted by parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in China. The current study aimed to explore the stress and coping strategies adopted by Chinese parents using stress-coping theories. A qualitative study was conducted on fifteen parents whose children, aged between 7 and 11 years (from primary school grades one to five), had received a formal diagnosis of ADHD. The findings revealed that Chinese parents use individual, family and school coping strategies to cope with their stress. The themes that emerged from the data included five types of stressors and eight coping strategies. The choice of the strategy adopted by the parents was influenced by cultural and environmental factors; in particular, family coping strategies required the availability of a supportive spouse and a supportive family culture. Similarly, school coping strategies required the availability of school involvement opportunities and school support resources. Since the support offered by teachers and mental health professionals such as school counsellors and social workers can be strengthened, this study recommends ways to strengthen the support provided to parents of children with ADHD.HighlightsThis study examined the coping methods adopted by Chinese parents whose children have ADHD within the Chinese cultural, social and educational context.The results revealed that the children’s symptoms, parents’ personality traits and perception, extra family burden and additional family conflict as the primary sources of the parental stress.Whereas parents employed individual, family and school coping strategies in reacting to the stressors.Chinese parents were more self-critical in a collectivist culture and they engaged in self-reflection, self-criticism and self-regulation as a stress coping process.Chinese parents felt the lack of social and school support, especially the pressure from teachers’ criticism and the lack of empathy for their children. They expect to get some social resources to help them.