accelerate CBGT Children’s Session
The CBGT modified counseling consisted of ten 120-minute sessions with children. The courses were designed to improve the social adaptation function of ADHD patients and enhance the relationship between parents and children based on their characteristics of low emotional control, hyperactivity, and low attention ability. In order to monitor the vertical and horizontal engagement of each member of the group, two observers were assigned to document the detailed performance of each child during the counseling session. These sessions were based on three main topics. In order to reduce unintended impulsivity caused by children with ADHD, the first goal was to assist them to analyze situations that trigger their emotional disharmony. As children learned more about how to identify crucial moments, they were provided with simulative scenarios that intend to trigger their anger and impulsivity. When they were presented with these situations, they were encouraged to stop and consider whether they had interpreted the situation correctly or if it came from their automatic thinking. The second component involved teaching coping techniques, including anger management and relaxation techniques. Parker et al. (2016) suggested that anger mediates the relationship between automatic thoughts and harmful behaviors; therefore, we taught children using different cognition models to make them less likely to believe their automatic thoughts. In the last part of the session, children were asked to collaborate and brainstorm to envision their future since research shows that positive psychology provides individuals with positive emotions and social support (Park et al., 2014).
SPSS26.0 was used for in-group test analysis. We applied a Paired Sample t-test in the study to compare the factor scores of four assessments to test whether they have significant differences between pre-CBGT and post-CBGT interventions. All the assessments were self-reported, filled out by children and parents who participated in the study.
In Table A.2, SNAP refers to Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Teacher and Parent Rating Scale, which is used as a measurement of core symptoms of ADHD, including parent ratings and teacher ratings. In the assessment, parent ratings are good predictors of research on inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity subscales, while teacher ratings work for only hyperactivity/impulsivity scores (Hall et al., 2020). In the scale, Inattention is denoted with (I), Hyperactivity-Impulsivity is denoted with (HI), and Oppositional items are denoted with (O). Second assessment is Barratt, which refers to Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, a measure for impulse control, including major sub-traits of impulsivity: non-planning impulsiveness , motor impulsiveness, and attentional impulsiveness (Reise et al., 2013). In the scale, Nonplanning Impulsiveness is denoted with (N), Motor Impulsiveness is denoted with (M), and Attentional Impulsiveness is denoted with (A). The third assessment is PSI-SF, which refers to Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, is used as a measure of parenting stress that happens when parents feel overwhelmed or lack the skills to cope with their children. The form contains three subscales, Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child (Rivas et al., 2021). In the scale, Parental Distress is denoted with (PD), Total Stress Scale is denoted with (Total), Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction is denoted with (PSDI), and Difficult Children is denoted with (DC). The last assessment is Conners, which refers to The Conners’ Rating Scales, is used to assess ADHD and other existing difficulties in children. There are two rating scales in Conners, one for teachers and the other for parents (Izzo, et al., 2019). We only used parent rating scales for our study. In the scale, Conduct Problem is denoted with (CP), Psychosomatic is denoted with (P), Anxiety is denoted with (A), Learning Problem is denoted with (LP), Impulsivity is denoted with (I), and Hyperactivity is denoted with (H).