Comparison of coping strategies and depression levels of mothers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder depression in mothers of children with normal development

The purpose of this study is to compare the depression levels and stress coping skills of the mothers of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and of the mothers of children with normal development levels. The additional purpose of the study is to explore to what extend predicts the stress coping skills of mothers of children with ADHD to their level of depression. The sample of the research consisted of the 120 mothers of children who have normal development and attend to the 4th and 8th grades at Atatürk Primary School, Başöğretmen Atatürk Primary School; İstiklal Primary School, Hanım Ömer Çağıran Primary School and Meryem Mustafa Ege Primary School in Muratpaşa Antalya and the 47 mothers of children with ADHD who attend to the 4th and 8th grades and were reached from Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at The Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine.?The Beck Depression Inventory? and ?The Multidimentional Intimate Coping Questionnare? were used to test the dependent and the independent variables. SPSS 16 was used to analyse the data. t-test was used in the independent samples of depression levels and stres coping strategies. The relationship between the dependent and the independent variables were examined by Multiple Linear Regression Model.According to the findings of the study, depression levels of the mothers of children with ADHD were higher than those the mothers of children with normal development. There were no differences between the mothers of children with ADHD and the mothers of children with normal development in using the strategies Love and Affection Toward Partner, Seeking Social Support, Denial/Avoidance, Religious Coping and Humor Coping. It was found that the level of Negative and Passive Coping Strategy is significantly higher and the level of Possitive and Active Coping Strategy is significantly lower at the mothers of children with ADHD than at the mothers of children with normal development. The level of Self-Bolstering strategy was found lower and the level of Social Withdrawal strategy was higher at the mothers of children with ADHD. The Alcohol and Drug Use strategy scores were found higher in the mothers of children with ADHD. It was found that the depression levels of the mothers of children with ADHD were correlated to the coping strategies of Love and Affection Toward Partner, Negative and Passive Coping, Possitive and Active Coping, Self-Bolstering, Social Withdrawal and Denial/Avoidance while Seeking Social Support, Religious Coping, Humor Coping and Alcohol and Drug Use strategies were not correlated to the depression level of mothers of children with ADHD. Depression levels were positively related to Negative and Passive Coping strategy and were negatively related to Positive and Active Coping strategy with significant levels.