Social Impairment of Adolescents with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The goal of this dissertation was to enhance our understanding of the social impairment of adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It examined several aspects of their social functioning including bullying, social skills, and social perspective taking (SPT) and how SPT is related to social skills. In Study 1, I sought to determine whether adolescents with and without ADHD differ in rates of bullying and victimization, and to describe the nature of their experiences. In Study 2, I examined whether adolescents with and without ADHD differ in their levels of SPT and social skills and to examine the association between these skills. The sample comprised 112 13- to 18-year-old adolescents: 59 (39 male, 20 female) with ADHD and 53 (25 male, 28 female) without ADHD. Adolescents, as well as their parents and teachers, completed measures assessing 1) adolescents’ inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity and oppositionality; 2) adolescents’ experiences of victimization by peers and bullying others and 3) adolescents’ SPT and social skills. Results indicated that, according to parent report, adolescents with ADHD were more likely to be victimized by peers than adolescents without ADHD. However, the patterns of victimization they experienced were normative. In terms of bullying others, there were discrepancies between adolescent- and parent-report. Adolescents with ADHD demonstrated impairment in SPT and social skills. They had lower SPT skills, suggesting that they have difficulty considering multiple perspectives and coordinating their perspectives with others in social situations. Both adolescents with ADHD and their parents reported that these adolescents displayed deficits in social skills, though parents reported more severe deficits than adolescents did. The association between SPT and social skills was variable. For some self-reported social skills, SPT was a significant predictor over and above ADHD status, whereas for other domains, SPT moderated the relationship between ADHD status and self-reported social skills. SPT was not a significant predictor of parent-reported social skills over and above ADHD status for five domains, but it was for parent-reported responsibility skills. These findings are discussed within the context of the existing literature on the social functioning of adolescents with ADHD. Additionally, clinical implications and future directions are discussed.Ph.D