Parents in Control: Parental perceptions of problem behaviors before and after attending an ADHD-specific parent-training program

Problem: There is scant evidence to support the efficacy of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-specific parent-training programs in the treatment of preadolescent children with ADHD. This study explores the effectiveness of the Parents in Control (PINC) parent-training program, designed specifically for children with ADHD. Methods: In this pragmatic uncontrolled pre-poststudy parents of preadolescent children with a diagnosis of ADHD were invited to attend the 6-week PINC course. Fifty-seven parent-report pre/postprogram questionnaires were completed. Findings: Parental ratings of the intensity and frequency of problem behaviors after completing PINC showed a significant reduction (p <.001) with a moderate effect size (0.6–0.7). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of PINC in reducing the parental perception of problem behaviors and support a need for further rigorous randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of this ADHD-specific intervention.