The Effects of Maternal Factors on Child Functioning Above and Beyond Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptomology

Current literature has identified that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptom severity does not account for all of the variance in child adaptive functioning. Identifying factors that account for variance in child functioning, above and beyond symptom severity, will provide potential additional treatment targets for childhood ADHD. The present study aimed firstly to examine the relations between ADHD symptom severity, child adaptive functioning, and maternal factors (parenting-related stress, personality, and coping). Secondly, we investigated whether child ADHD symptom severity and dimensions of maternal personality and coping accounted for unique variance in parenting-related stress. Lastly, we examined whether parenting-related stress, and the interaction between parenting- related stress and ADHD symptom severity, accounted for unique variance in child functioning, above and beyond child ADHD symptom severity. Participants were 103 children (59 male, 44 female; 35 diagnosed with ADHD, 68 typically developing) aged 6 to 12 years old (M = 8.74 SD = 1.87), and their caregivers (91.3% female). Measures of ADHD symptom severity, adaptive functioning, parenting-related stress, personality, and coping were obtained using standardised questionnaires. Bivariate correlations revealed various relations among ADHD symptom severity, adaptive functioning and maternal factors. Hierarchical Linear Regression analyses revealed that maternal neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion all accounted for unique variance in parenting-related stress, above and beyond ADHD symptom severity. Moreover, parenting-related stress accounted for unique variance in child adaptive functioning, above and beyond ADHD symptom severity, however no moderating effect was found. These findings are discussed in regards to their practical implications in the treatment of childhood ADHD