The effectiveness of coping skills training on emotional self-regulation of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Multiple disabilities are associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), some with single disabilities, while others involve multiple deficits, while others display no specific impairments. This study aimed to examine how coping skills training affects emotional self-regulation in inclusive children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In this study, a quasi-experimental design was used with pretests, post-tests and a control group. From October to December 2019, all pediatric ADHD patients attended the Armaghan Pediatric Clinic of the Razi psychiatric hospital in district 4 of Tehran, Iran. Totally, 28 of them were chosen for the study using a purposive sampling method. Both groups were randomly divided into two experimental (n=14) and control (n=14) groups. The experimental group received 12 ninety-minute sessions of therapy once a week, while the control group did not receive treatment. The study instruments were a questionnaire on demographic features and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). For data analysis, SPSS 21 was used to conduct an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Twenty-eight children aged seven to twelve were evaluated for ADHD (mean = 8.13, SD = 1.20) whose diagnoses met diagnostic criteria. The results revealed that coping skills training made significant changes in emotion regulation at the post-test stage (P < 0.001).

The findings of this study demonstrated that coping skills training for children with ADHD resulted in improved emotional self-regulation.