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).