Mindful Parenting Education for Medical Providers and Caregivers of Children With ADHD

Abstract

Purpose: This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to increase provider knowledge and self-perceived confidence in mindful parenting so that they may instruct caregivers of children with ADHD who are struggling with familial stress and their own mental health concerns.Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders in children worldwide. Caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD have a high prevalence of immense parental stress and mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Caregivers desire parenting education that can help alleviate, or at least lessen, behavioral concerns in children, parental stress, and mental health struggles. Mindful parenting is an evidence-based technique that aims to teach caregivers the skill of mindfulness when managing their children’s behaviors and their own mental health concerns. It has been well-documented to be beneficial when used with children with ADHD. Methods: This QI project utilized a quantitative pretest-posttest study design. Pediatric providers viewed a 20-minute educational video developed and produced by the principal investigator (PI). The video contained information on identifying struggling caregivers, basic concepts and examples of mindful parenting, and evidence-based research indicating its efficacy in easing parental stress and mental health struggles when managing children with ADHD. Providers completed a pretest and a posttest using the Qualtrics application to determine the attainment of knowledge concerning mindful parenting and their willingness to incorporate its techniques in daily practice. Statistical analysis was completed in direct comparison between the pre and posttest and utilizing a Wilcoxon Signed Rank test to further identify the strength of differences in improvement after participants received education in mindful parenting. Results: The study ran for five days at Desert Shores Pediatrics in Gilbert, Arizona, in August 2023. Data was collected from nine study participants who completed both a pretest and posttest survey. After watching the educational video, a significant improvement was identified in knowledge about mindful parenting (p= 0.01922). Additionally, providers indicated an increase of 82% in overall confidence levels when understanding and utilizing education in mindful parenting. Furthermore, all participants (n=9) indicated they would be willing to incorporate mindful parenting education for struggling caregivers into their daily practice. Conclusion: This QI project supports providing education in mindful parenting to caregivers of children with ADHD struggling with stress and mental health concerns. Leadership at Desert Shores Pediatrics was provided an executive summary and will determine how/whether to incorporate the study’s findings.