Designing a Family-Centered Behavioral Management Program (FBMP) and Evaluating its Effectiveness in Marital Satisfaction of Parents of Children with ADHD

The aim of this study was to design a family-centered behavioral management program (FBMP) and to evaluate its effectiveness in marital satisfaction of parents of children with ADHD. This quasi-experimental study had a pretest-posttest control group design with a follow-up session. The statistical population of the study comprised all parents of primary school children with ADHD in Tehran in 2018-19 school year. Using convenience sampling method, 64 parents were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (32 parents in each group). The experimental group received the family-centered behavioral management program in 10 sessions, while the control group received no intervention. The instruments included Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scale (1999) and Afrooz Marital Satisfaction Scale (AMSS). The Data were analyzed by Split-plot ANOVA (SPANOVA). Results revealed that family-centered behavioral management program (FBMP) had a significant, positive effect on the marital satisfaction of parents of children with ADHD. These results were stable over the two-month follow-up period. Low generalizability of the findings is among the limitations of the study. It recommended that further research be carried out on the reduction of familial stress symptoms in the context of other statistical populations and cultures. In addition, designing school-based programs is suggested.