Family problems associated with conduct disorder perceived by patients, families and professionals

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Conduct disorder is among the most serious and complex complications in school-aged children. Considering severe problems in the families of children with conduct disorder, this article aimed to investigate such problems in this group. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This qualitative research was conducted on 23 participants in Tehran, Iran. The study participants were selected by purposive sampling technique. Interviewees consisted of children with conduct disorder (8–12 years old), their parents, teachers, and relevant experts. This study is a qualitative research which is a content analysis. The research tools included a checklist of questions approved by experts. The content analysis method was used with the help of MAXQDA software to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: The findings comprised the studied families’ issues in five categories. These classes included the parents’ marital problems, helplessness, and inability of the family to improve conditions; inappropriate discipline approaches; the family's lack of interest in the treatment; and the family members’ mental harms. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to provide appropriate facilities and health-care centers for the families to reduce the burden of their problems. In addition, a specialist and experienced work team consisting of at least a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, and a social worker is necessary to serving these families.

Conduct Disorder: A Review of the Literature and the Impact on Caregivers

“…The authors found through qualitative interviews that caregiver strain negatively impacted the quality of spousal relationships (Sajadi et al, 2020). For instance, parental relationship issues were almost exclusively associated with the behaviour of a child with CD (Sajadi et al, 2020). Marital infidelity and "emotional divorce" (disconnect) were also reported to be prevalent problems in studied couples (Sajadi et al, 2020).…”

“…Caregivers and families must navigate potential psychosocial harms, such as conflict, spousal problems and feelings of helplessness, all the while attempting to care for their child/youth with CD and other children (Sajadi et al, 2020).…”

“…In total, three of the studies selected were crosssectional, two of which analyzed caregiver strain while raising a child/youth with CD in comparison to families of children without the disorder (Chaudhury et al, 2020;Manor-Binyamini, 2012). In addition to parents, the final cross-sectional study incorporated the views of children with CD, teachers, and clinicians (Sajadi et al, 2020). One article utilized a national (British) survey data set to determine strain compared to an emotional disorder group (Meltzer et al, 2011).…”

“…For example, 45.6% (n = 312) of participants raising a child with CD stated that their relationships have become "more strained" with their partner, 17.7% (n = 312) noted that their child's CD problems generated issues with their friends, and just over 25% (n = 312) of parents stated that this strain contributed to ending a previous relationship (Meltzer et al, 2011). Another study conducted in Iran (n = 23) included parents (n = 6), teachers (n = 5), and children aged 8-12 years diagnosed with CD (n = 5), along with social workers and psychology experts (n = 7; Sajadi et al, 2020). The authors found through qualitative interviews that caregiver strain negatively impacted the quality of spousal relationships (Sajadi et al, 2020).…”

“…Another study conducted in Iran (n = 23) included parents (n = 6), teachers (n = 5), and children aged 8-12 years diagnosed with CD (n = 5), along with social workers and psychology experts (n = 7; Sajadi et al, 2020). The authors found through qualitative interviews that caregiver strain negatively impacted the quality of spousal relationships (Sajadi et al, 2020). For instance, parental relationship issues were almost exclusively associated with the behaviour of a child with CD (Sajadi et al, 2020).…”