Cognitive-Behavioral Depression Treatment for Mothers of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

An adaptation of the Coping With Depression Course (CWDC) was evaluated in mothers of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a population at risk for depression. Mothers were randomly assigned to receive the CWDC either immediately following an intensive summer treatment program targeting their child's behavior or after a wait-list period. Measures of maternal functioning, cognitions about child behavior, parent-child and marital relationship quality, child behavior, and ADHD-related family impairment were obtained at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 5-month follow-up. The CWDC resulted in improvements in maternal depressive symptoms, maternal self-esteem, child-related cognitions, and family impairment at posttreatment compared to a wait-list control group that were maintained at follow-up. Findings suggest that the CWDC is a promising intervention for mothers of children with ADHD, particularly those with current depressive symptomatology.