Family problems associated with conduct disorder perceived by patients, families and professionals

INTRODUCTION: Conduct disorder is among the most serious and complex complications in school-aged children. Considering severe problems in the families of children with conduct disorder, this article aimed to investigate such problems in this group. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This qualitative research was conducted on 23 participants in Tehran, Iran. The study participants were selected by purposive sampling technique. Interviewees consisted of children with conduct disorder (8–12 years old), their parents, teachers, and relevant experts. This study is a qualitative research which is a content analysis. The research tools included a checklist of questions approved by experts. The content analysis method was used with the help of MAXQDA software to analyze the obtained data. RESULTS: The findings comprised the studied families’ issues in five categories. These classes included the parents’ marital problems, helplessness, and inability of the family to improve conditions; inappropriate discipline approaches; the family's lack of interest in the treatment; and the family members’ mental harms. CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to provide appropriate facilities and health-care centers for the families to reduce the burden of their problems. In addition, a specialist and experienced work team consisting of at least a child psychiatrist, a child psychologist, and a social worker is necessary to serving these families.