Climie, EmmaBath, Alexandra Christine2024-09-052024-09-052024-08-26Bath, A. C. (2024). The power of recognizing strengths: understanding the negative impact of parental self-stigma on the self-esteem of children with ADHD (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.https://hdl.handle.net/1880/119555Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children globally (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022). While research has often focused on the challenges associated with ADHD, there is an increasing emphasis on recognizing their unique strengths (Climie & Mastoras, 2015). However, parents of children with ADHD often experience self-stigma, which can inadvertently influence their child's well-being (Li et al., 2019) and self-esteem. The current study investigated the relationships between parents' self-stigma, perceptions of the child's strengths as reported by the parent and the child, and self-esteem in children with ADHD. Moreover, the study explored how the parent's perceptions of the child's strengths might mitigate the adverse effects of parents’ self-stigma on children's self-esteem. The sample consisted of 63 parents and their children diagnosed with ADHD between the ages of 8-17 years (males: n = 42; females: n = 21). A multi-stage statistical analysis approach encompassed correlation, hierarchical regression, and mediation analysis. Findings revealed that parental self-stigma has a significant negative effect on children's self-esteem, while child perceptions of their strengths had a positive effect. Although the direct effect of the parent's perception of their child's strengths on the child's self-esteem was not statistically significant, the indirect effect through parent self-stigma was significant. The results emphasize the need for interventions to support parents in reducing the effects of self-stigma and promote positive parenting practices that recognize and utilize the child's strengths.enUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.ADHDparent self-stigmaself-esteemstrengthsparentsparentsEducational Psychologymaster thesis