Martin Forster

Background: Parents of children with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC) are at risk of experiencing elevated levels of parental stress. Access to robust instruments to assess parental stress is important in both clinical and research contexts. Objective: We aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Parental Stress Scale (PSS), completed by parents of 3- to 17-year-old children, with and without NDCs. Method: Main analyses were conducted on data from three independent samples: a community sample (n=1018), a treatment-seeking sample of parents of children with various disabilities (n=653), and a sample of parents of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) who themselves reported varying ADHD symptom severities (n=562). Additional analyses were enabled by the use of data from a complementary test-retest sample (n=337). Results: The internal consistency of the PSS was good (Cronbach’s alpha, α=.87) and its test-retest reliability moderate (ICC=.66). The scale correlated in the expected direction with related constructs (r=.50–.56 in the community sample). An exploratory factor analysis found its internal structure to reflect two aspects of parental stress: Lack of Parental Rewards and Role Satisfaction (factor 1, α=.90) and Parental Stressors and Distress (factor 2, α=.85). The treatment-seeking parents of children with disabilities reported higher parental stress than community reference parents (p<.001; Cohen’s d=1.17). Moreover, we found that parents with high ADHD symptom severity reported higher parental stress than parents with low ADHD symptom severity (p<.001; d=0.39). Conclusion: In summary, we found evidence in support of the reliability and validity of the PSS, which overall was judged to be useful as a measure of parental stress in a Swedish context. In addition, our results underline the importance of considering parental stress and related needs in assessments and intervention planning involving families of children with NDCs.

Objective: To describe the development of the Improving Parenting Skills Adult ADHD (IPSA) parent training (PT) program, designed for parents with ADHD. Method: IPSA was developed using an iterative co-creation approach, involving parents with ADHD from the initial knowledge mobilization phase onwards. The program prototype was evaluated by 16 parents with ADHD, in an open trial of program feasibility. Results: IPSA was deemed feasible in terms of acceptability and levels of active participation, with no evidence of unintended harm. All but one participant completed the program, attending on average 84% of sessions. Pre-to-post within-group comparisons of targeted skills and outcomes revealed changes in the expected direction regarding, for example, use of introduced parenting skills (Cohen’s d = 1.3). Conclusion: The program prototype was found acceptable, accessible, and safe. Findings support the potential value of adapting PT protocols for parents with ADHD and warrant further evaluation of IPSA in a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To examine if the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of a psychoeducational program targeting children’s ADHD differ between parents with varying ADHD symptom severities. Method: An open trial analyzed data from 549 parents of children with ADHD aged 3 to 17 years, who participated in psychoeducation at an outpatient habilitation/disability clinic. In all analyses, parents were stratified into three symptom severity groups (low/middle/high) based on scores on an ADHD screening scale. Results: Parental ADHD symptom severity was not associated with results on any outcome, although the odds of having incomplete data were higher in parents reporting higher symptom severity. Across the entire sample, we observed high program completion rates, positive acceptability ratings and large increases in parental knowledge. Conclusions: Psychoeducation may be beneficial regardless of the participating parent’s ADHD symptomatology. Further research is needed to examine whether these results are generalizable to parents diagnosed with ADHD, an underrepresented group in our study.

Nine dipeptides and one tripeptide containing histidine were converted into analytically pure zinc complexes. Four different compositions were observed. The peptides used as or converted into the monoacids LH (HisGly, GlyHis, HisPhe, HisHis) form the compounds ZnL₂ (11a, 12–14) and alternatively (HisGly, HisGlyGly) the compounds ZnL(BF₄) (11b, 20). The peptides used as amides (HisGlyNH₂, HisMetNH₂) act as neutral ligands in the compounds ZnL₂(ClO₄)₂ (15, 16). The three remaining peptides (HisAsp, AlaHis, β‐AlaHis) behave like diprotonic acids LH₂ forming the compounds ZnL (17–19). Spectra and solubilities indicate that complexes 11a, 13, 15, and 16 are mononuclear containing two chelating peptides bound by their amino and imidazole nitrogen atoms. All other complexes seem to be coordination polymers in some of which the amide N and O atoms are involved in the coordination. This was proven by a structure determination for Zn(GlyHis)₂ (12) in which the zinc ions are coordinated octahedrally by two histidine N, two amino N, and two amide O atoms of four peptide residues.