تبیین الگوی ارتباطی خانواده‌های دارای فرزند مبتلا به اختلال نافرمانی مقابله‌ای با رویکرد تحلیل مضمون

مهدی رضایی; ندا موسوی; سجاد کریمی

doi:10.61838/789894

Authors

Mehdi Rezaei Department of Family Counseling, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran Author
Neda Mousavi Department of Health Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
Sajjad Karimi Department of Educational Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61838/789894

Keywords:

Oppositional defiant disorder, family communication pattern, thematic analysis, parenting, parent-child conflict, children

Abstract

This study aimed to explain the communication pattern of families with a child diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder using a thematic analysis approach. This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. The study population consisted of parents of 7- to 12-year-old children diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder in Tehran. Children had previously received a clinical diagnosis from a child psychologist or psychiatrist. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with attention to variation in parent gender, child age, parental education, and family structure. Data were collected exclusively through in-depth semi-structured interviews, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The final sample included 18 parents, consisting of 12 mothers and 6 fathers. After obtaining informed consent, all interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded in NVivo software. Data analysis followed the main phases of thematic analysis, including familiarization with the data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes, and producing the final report. The analysis revealed that the communication pattern of families with a child with oppositional defiant disorder was organized around five main themes: cycles of conflict and mutual escalation, parental inconsistency and disturbed communication boundaries, emotion-driven communication and parental exhaustion, reduced positive dialogue and erosion of emotional bonds, and attempts to reconstruct communication through rule-setting, help-seeking, and coordination with school or therapists. Participants described how children’s defiant behaviors were often met with immediate, threatening, or punitive parental responses, which in turn intensified the child’s resistance, anger, withdrawal, or oppositional behavior. Parental disagreement, interference by extended family members, social shame, and parents’ sense of failure further complicated the communication cycle. The findings indicated that families of children with oppositional defiant disorder are not merely dealing with child noncompliance; rather, they are often involved in a cyclical, emotionally charged, and unstable communication pattern in which child behavior and parental responses mutually reinforce one another. Therefore, family-based interventions should focus not only on reducing children’s oppositional behaviors but also on improving communication styles, parental consistency, emotion regulation, positive interactions, and non-punitive response strategies.

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