Discrepancia educativa parental y TDAHintervención psicoeducativa a través de un programa de entrenamiento a padres

Abstract

Abstract: Parental educational discrepancy refers to the existence of different educational styles in each of the parents. This research has as main objective to deepen the understanding of the relationship between this educational discrepancy and Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the impact of such discrepancies on children and the family atmosphere. To this end, there have been three empirical studies that examined this relationship. In a first study, we put the emphasis on the association between parental educational discrepancy and a) maladjustment of children between 8 and 12 years and b) interparental conflicts. The "Test Autoevaluativo Multifactorial de Adaptación Infantil" (TAMAI; Hernández, 2004) was administered to a sample of 404 subjects from the general population. The results of this initial investigation indicated a positive relationship between parental educational discrepancy and mismatch problems of children, especially difficulties in social adaptation. Also, a positive association with interparental conflict was found. In a second study, the possible differences between a group of children with ADHD consisting of 65 children and a group of 98 younger from the general population, in terms of their perception of parental educational discrepancy and the impact of this discrepancy in adjustment experienced were checked. The TAMAI was the instrument used for collecting data. Significant differences were found between the two groups. Children with ADHD perceived higher levels of educational discrepancy than the other children. Furthermore, the presence of such discrepancies had a greater impact on school maladjustment of these children compared to the group without the disorder. Finally, in the last study, we carried out intervention program with parents of children with ADHD who consisted of 10 sessions of work. 30 families of children with this disorder participated in this program. Besides TAMAI, that was administered to children, other instruments were the revised Conners scales (1997) and the "Perfil de Estilos Educativos" test (PEE; Magaz & García, 2011), which were completed by the parents. The educational style of each of the parents was assessed and compared before and after application of the training. The differences among fathers and mothers decreased after having finished it. We also assessed the differences with regard to the behavior of ADHD, child maladjustment, parental educational discrepancy and family dissatisfaction before and after the program. Significant differences after the intervention were found, indicating the positive impact of the training. We conclude that absence of parental educational discrepancy is of the utmost importance for the proper development of children, and that this discrepancy may have an even more negative effect on such a vulnerable population as it is children with ADHD. It follows from the results obtained after implementation of the intervention program the need for further research and work in the family dimension of these children as a way to achieve their optimal development.