Understanding conduct disorder: The ways in which mothers attempt to make sense of their children’s behaviour

• Published in: Clinical child psychology and psychiatry Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 570 - 584
• Main Authors: Lewis, Rhiannon M, Petch, Victoria, Wilson, Naomi, Fox, Simone, Craig, Catrina E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.10.2015; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Attribution; Behavior disorders; Child; Child & adolescent mental health; Child Behavior - psychology; Children; Clinical research; Conduct disorder; Conduct Disorder - psychology; Disruptive behaviour; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Families & family life; Female; Help seeking behavior; Humans; Interpretative phenomenological analysis; Male; Mental health services; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Parent attitudes; Parent training; Parenthood education; Parents & parenting; Psychological trauma; Qualitative research; Shame; Social privilege; Trauma; Understanding; Conduct disorder; Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis; oppositional defiant disorder; qualitative research; parenting
• ISSN: 1359-1045; 1461-7021
• DOI: 10.1177/1359104514538040

‘Disruptive behaviour disorders’ are the most common reason for referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Current treatment guidelines focus on parent-training programmes. Difficulties are often reported when engaging families, with parental attributions and attitudes towards help-seeking proposed as influential factors. Previous research has tended to privilege pre-existing frameworks; this study utilised qualitative methods to add to the current understanding of the ways in which parents make sense of their children’s behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six mothers, recruited through CAMHS. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed four master themes: ‘Understanding the Emotional Child’, ‘The Emotional Parent’, ‘Getting Help’ and ‘The Journey’. Participants used a variety of explanations in order to make sense of their children’s behaviour, including the impact of loss and trauma. Help-seeking was associated with feelings of shame, and services were often viewed as inconsistent and stigmatising. In contrast, positive experiences were those which were characterised as being non-judgemental, normalising and took into account the wider family context, including mothers’ own emotional needs. These findings were discussed in relation to existing research and implications for clinical practice.