Is Europe Dead?

Take a look at the enclosed video and see what you think of France and other European nations.

For 25 years I have worked in Europe and seen the transformation of those nations from open, free and socially liberal to being ruled by other elements. One of the major issues is the lack of babies in European families because of Zero Population Growth Movements, that were very popular on campuses in the USA in the Seventies. These ideas led to abortion and extensive use of birth control as well as a movement of anger toward the “high cost” of having children. Thus, hardly any country in Europe has enough babies per couple to replace the elderly. (2.1 per couple is necessary.)

In Russia, the average woman had 8 to 10 abortions each and the population reduction is a severe crisis. The government offers a cash bonus for having over two kids, but it may be too late for Russia since they have lost 4,000,000 people in the last decade. Only immigration will keep Europe going but the Muslims see it as an opportunity to take over those nations. Thankfully, the USA is being repopulated by largely Christian immigrants from South America.

Europe has lost the battle. Just imagine the Iranians ruling in Germany, France, Italy, etc. Banning all abortion and birth control may be the only way to solve this crisis.

Building Resilient Families

We are honored and excited to be speaking at The Xavier University Spring Conference for Remarkable Families. Dr. Thomas Knestrict is an entrepreneurial teacher at XU to promote the study and support of families with a special emphasis on parents with disabled children.

SweetenLife VIP Family Care attended this symposium last year as vendors and we had a ton of interested people visiting our booth. In fact, one of the speakers failed to show up. At the last minute they asked me to pinch hit for the class and I had a ball with the parents, Counselors, Medical personnel and educators who came to learn about ways to support special need kids and their families. The reviews of my teaching were so good that they asked me to speak to the entire group in 2012.

We have learned so much about the Best Practices special needs family have to share with us. These are special because they are remarkable and insightful. They can teach us so much if we can develop ways to allow them to speak. Our research is sharing their remarkable insights and how they have developed resilience.

We are currently developing a Quality Of Life Assessment for families to take so they can get a better idea about what they find stressful and most helpful. We will have it ready to share on March 2 at the Remarkable Family Symposium.

We will also have the names of people and groups who are trained and ready to provide emotional, practical and spiritual support.


Go to the web and sign up if you want to learn how to get assistance as a parent or give it to someone you love. I promise you will not be bored.

I hope we can see you there.

Gary Sweeten
www.sweetenlife.com

Mothers' Stress and ADHD Kids

What do you think? Are mothers with children who suffer with ADHD more stressed than mothers whose children do not have ADHD?

Most of you said "YES!" quickly and automatically. But why do you say that? Why would mothers feel more stressed if they have ADHD kids than those whose children do not exhibit the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

In a recent study published online the research was done to isolate the moms' stress levels.

Examining the ebb and flow of parents' distress in relation to children's behavior was the focus of an interesting study published recently in the Journal of Family Psychology [Whalen et al., (2011). Dissecting daily distress in mothers of children with ADHD: An electronic diary study. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 402-411. Participants were 51 8- to 12-year old children with ADHD and their mothers (about 70% boys) and 58 comparison dyads where the child did not have ADHD. The authors had intended to include fathers but were unable to recruit a sufficient number. All children with ADHD were being treated with a long acting medication during the study and were reported by their mothers to be doing well on medication.

Over a 7-day period during nonschool hours, mothers and children rated their moods and behavior using Personal Digital Assistants, i.e., PDAs, roughly every thirty minutes when prompted by a beep from the device. Each time the beep occurred, mothers rated the child's level of attention/concentration, hyperactive-impulsive behavior, and oppositional behavior. They also rated how stressed, worried, worried about their child, and sad they were feeling in the moment. These ratings were averaged to obtain a measure of moms' overall distress at each recording point.

Children used their eDiary device to rate their mood and behavior by indicating how angry, restless, impatient, and focused they were feeling each time they were prompted.

The researchers also obtained measure of 'maternal risk' at baseline using a composite of mothers' self-reported ADHD symptoms, depression, and the intensity of child-related stressors that she experienced during the prior 6 months. Obtaining an estimate of maternal risk at baseline enabled the researchers to test whether mothers at higher risk were more negatively reactive to their child's behavior in the moment.

Baseline characteristics of mothers

Not surprisingly, baseline risk scores were substantially higher in mothers of children with ADHD compared to other mothers. These mothers were more depressed, reported more ADHD behaviors in themselves, and were experiencing significantly greater stress related to their children.

Question 1: Do ongoing child behaviors and maternal distress fluctuate together?

As expected, the answer to this question was clearly yes. In both groups of mothers, elevated levels of distress were reported during times when the mother perceived her child to be hyperactive, oppositional, or lacking in concentration. Similarly, maternal distress was higher when the child reported him or herself to be angry, impatient, or restless.


Question 2: Are mothers of children with ADHD more reactive to their child's negative behaviors?

Again, the answer was yes. The increase in maternal distress reported by moms whose child had ADHD was significantly greater when the child displayed negative behaviors/moods compared to the other mothers. Thus, even though distress increased during these times for all mothers, distress levels in moms in the ADHD group were negatively affected to a greater degree.


Question 3: Is the link between negative child behavior and maternal distress stronger in moms at higher risk?

The answer to this question was also clearly yes. Moms with higher baseline scores on the risk index reported greater increases in distress when their child displayed negative behaviors than did moms with lower risk scores. This was true for both groups of moms but recall that moms of children with ADHD had substantially higher risk scores to begin with. Thus, this was especially problematic for these mothers.
My Thoughts!

It was also obvious that these moms need support, coaching and assistance to deal with their stress. However, the study in question did NOT answer some of my questions. Take a look at the research again and see if it answers all your questions.

1. How did the absence of Fathers impact the kids and moms?

2. Which comes first, ADHD in the children or stress, reactivity and anger in mom?

3. What would you work on if you wanted to bring more peace to the family?

Gary Sweeten

Why Teens Resist Help for ADHD

ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE - September 2011

Concerns about Stigma Undermine ADHD Treatment for Adolescents

Dear Colleague,

In the issue of Attention Research Update I review a study that examines the predictors of treatment in adolescents with ADHD. Maintaining regular ADHD treatment for teens can be a significant challenge and protests related to treatment often increase with the transition from childhood to adolescence. As this study makes clear, an important factor in these protests may be adolescents' concerns about being stigmatized and addressing these concerns may be essential in maintaining treatment continuity.

I found this to be an interesting study and I hope you enjoy today's issue.

Sincerely,

David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Associate Research Professor
Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708

P.S. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others you know who may be interested - you'll find a "Forward to a Friend" link at the end of this message. If this has been forwarded to you, go to our web to subscribe.

** Concerns about Stigma Undermine ADHD Treatment for Adolescents **


Because ADHD frequently persists into adolescence, and continues to undermine teens' academic and social functioning, most adolescents continue to need treatment. However, as issues of self-direction and autonomy become more important for teens, resistance to treatment for ADHD - medication or otherwise - frequently intensifies and many adolescents stop treatment prematurely. This is a challenge that many parents struggle with.

It is thus important to understand the factors - particularly adolescents' perspectives on treatment - that affect the receipt of ADHD treatment during this critical developmental period. Examining this issue was the focus of a study published recently in the Journal of Adolescent Health [Bussing et al (2011). Receiving treatment for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Do the perspectives of adolescents matter. Journal of Adolescent Health, 49, 7-14.]

Participants were 168 adolescents - about 50% female - and their parents recruited through a public school system in the US. These adolescents screened positive for ADHD in elementary school and were contacted 6 years later for a follow-up assessment. At follow-up, over 60% continued to meet full diagnostic criteria for ADHD and many others still had elevated levels of ADHD symptoms. The researchers were interested in how many adolescents had received ADHD treatment in the past year and the parent and child characteristics that predicted the receipt of treatment.


- Parent Perspectives -

Clinical need - Parents rated their teen on symptoms of ADHD, disruptive behavior, emotional distress and overall impairment. High levels of symptoms reflected high clinical need for treatment.

Treatment receptivity - Parents rated how receptive they were towards obtaining medication treatment or counseling for their child.

Caregiver strain - Parents rated the effect of caring for a child with emotional or behavioral problems, such as demands on time, financial strain, worry, guilt, and embarrassment. High scores reflect high levels of strain associated with caring for their child.


- Adolescent Perspectives -

Clinical need - Teens their symptoms of ADHD, disruptive behavior, emotional distress and overall impairment. High levels of symptoms reflected high clinical need for treatment.

Treatment receptivity - Teens rated how receptive they were towards obtaining medication treatment or counseling.

ADHD Stigma - This measure assessed teens' perception that being diagnosed and treated for ADHD would be stigmatizing.


Receipt of mental health services

Lifetime and past-year receipt of mental health services for each adolescent was gathered through detailed interviews with parents. This interview inquired about the receipt of services in a wide range of settings and asked about counseling services and medication treatment.


- Results -

Lifetime and past year mental health service usage

Although most adolescents, i.e, 79%, had received mental health intervention at some point in their lives, only 42% received any services in the past year. This was true even though most continued to meet full diagnostic criteria for ADHD and/or continued to struggle with symptoms.

Agreement between parent and teen perspectives

Parent and teen reports of the teen's emotional distress showed moderate agreement. However, agreement on symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and disruptive behavior was poor. Agreement on receptivity to treatment for ADHD was also poor.

Predictors of prior year use of mental health services

The researchers were especially interested in what predicted adolescents' receipt of mental health services during the past year. Interestingly, neither socioeconomic status or insurance coverage were significant predictors. Neither were parent ratings of their child's hyperactive and disruptive behavior.

Instead, teens who had received services were rated by parents as more inattentive, more depressed, and more impaired in their daily functioning. Treatment was also more likely when parents were more receptive to medication treatment.


What about adolescents' perspectives?

Even after taking these parental factors into account, adolescents' perspectives emerged as significant predictors of treatment receipt. Adolescents who rated themselves as more impaired and who had more positive attitudes towards medication were more likely to have been treated. The most powerful predictor, however, was concerns that ADHD was stigmatizing. Adolescents who were worried about being stigmatized for ADHD were far less likely to have received treatment in the past year than other teens.


- Summary and implications -

Results from this study indicate that many adolescents struggling with ADHD have not received any mental health services in the prior year. Especially noteworthy was that even after accounting for parents' perceptions of their child's functioning and their receptivity to medication treatment, adolescents' own attitudes were important predictors of receiving treatment.

Teens who felt they were not functioning well in their daily lives were more likely to have been treated. And, adolescents with concerns about ADHD stigma were far less likely to have received treatment during the prior year. In fact, this was the strongest predictor of all.

These findings highlight the importance of eliciting adolescents' perceptions of the need for ADHD treatment, and concerns related to treatment, during evaluation and treatment planning. In particular, health professionals should discuss concerns teens may have about being stigmatized for ADHD as these concerns can substantially undermine an adolescent's willingness to initiate or continue with indicated treatment.

These results also suggest that when a teenager refuses treatment, or protests continuing, parents should recognize that there may be more involved than their child's being oppositional, not recognizing the reality of what they require, or exercising their desire for autonomy and self-determination. While these factors may certainly be involved, an adolescent's worries about being stigmatized can be especially important and need to be understood and addressed. There is a need to develop effective interventions for addressing such concerns.