| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
|
|
This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.
Rationale
The present research attempts to offer a contribution to our knowledge about the stress experienced by mothers of ADHD children. Analysis for this study is designed in an effort to understand the significance of social support as beneficial or harmful to the well-being of mothers of ADHD children by testing for the effects of the child’s behavior and ADHD status and predictors of social support. American and Canadian mothers of ADHD children were compared to their non-ADHD counterparts. This research attempts to fill the void in cross-cultural comparative research of families with ADHD children. This research is also unlike related studies in that it focuses on social support as an important contributing factor to maternal well-being. The knowledge gained from this analysis may help to shed light on the circumstances of mothers and their ADHD children.
Data
This research utilizes data from the 2001 NHIS and Cycle 4 of the NLSCY conducted between 2000 and 2001. Canadian children and American mothers of children between the ages of 8 and 12 were selected. Other caregivers, such as grandparents, were excluded for the purpose of this analysis. Statistical weights were employed in the sample design of both datasets. Due to limitations in the sample size of fathers of ADHD and non-ADHD children, only mothers were included for the purpose of this analysis. The net sample includes 3,919 (97.3%) non-ADHD children and 110 (2.7%) ADHD children, for a total of 4,029 Canadian children.