Parent Training Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children Aged 5 to 18 Years

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, adults must have noticed higher levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in the child before the age of 7 years compared to children of similar age. Parent training programs aim to give parents techniques to manage their child's ADHD-related behavior. This systematic review sought to determine whether parent training interventions are effective in reducing ADHD symptoms and associated problems in children ages 5 to 18 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, compared to controls with no parent training intervention. Of 5 randomized controlled studies, 4 set out to improve children's general behavior and 1 focused specifically on how parents could help their children make friends. Study results showed some improvement in parental stress and general child behavior—but other important outcomes, including ADHD-related behavior, were uncertain. More research and better reporting of the study procedures and results are needed.