ADHD and Maternal Resiliency: A Cross-Cultural Examination of Ca ...

Preface

This book highlights the strengths and resiliency of mothers of children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All too often, these women serve as scapegoats for the disruptive behaviors displayed by their children. In other words, the symptoms of the disorder, such as inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, often cause outsiders to view the ADHD child as undisciplined and without direction. Exposing pathology and dysfunction among mothers of ADHD children appears to be the focus of a great deal of research. More specifically, the social, emotional and psychological attributes of mothers are frequently framed as “risk factors” for increasing behavioral problems in ADHD children. The resiliency of these mothers is significantly diminished by the larger cultural and academic emphasis on their alleged differences from other mothers. As the findings presented in this research suggest, Canadian and American mothers of ADHD children are not very different from their non-ADHD counterparts.