Abstract

The present study aims to compare the relationships among subjective well-being, coping strategies and parental self-efficacy in mothers of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and normal children. The study adopted a causal-comparative method. The population of the study consisted of all mothers in Gorgan city having 4-10 year-old ADHD, ODD or normal children. These three groups of mothers were selected using cluster random sampling (N=23). The data was collected using Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire, Ways of Coping Questionnaire and Parental Self-Efficacy Scale. Both descriptive and inferential statistics including F test, t test and linear regression were used to analyze the data. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS16. The results with 95% certainty indicated that there was no significant difference in subjective well-being among mothers in different groups; however, there was a significant difference among the groups in the subscale of positive affect. There was a difference in problem-focused coping strategies among mothers in different groups. There was no difference in emotion-focused strategies among mothers, though. The results showed a difference in parental self-efficacy among mothers in different groups. The results of the relationship between subjective well-being and parental self-efficacy showed that the components of subjective well-being could account for 14% of the variance in parental self-efficacy. The results pertaining to the relationship between coping strategies and parental self-efficacy reveled that problem-focused strategies could account for 29% of the variance in parental self-efficacy. Subjective well-being, coping strategies and parental self-efficacy differed in mothers based on their job characteristics: A) the results of the relationship among the three variables in mothers of ADHD children showed that subjective well-being played the most significant direct role. Still, emotion-focused strategies had the least significant negative effect on self-efficacy in mothers of ADHD children; B) the same relationship was studied in ODD group and the results indicated that problem-focused strategies played the major role.

Keywords: Subjective Well-being, Coping Strategies, Parental Self-Efficacy, ADHD, ODD.

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