Parent Behaviors as Predictors of Peer Acceptance in Children With and Without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

It has been theorized that parents indirectly influence children's peer functioning through aspects of the parent-child relationship. One specific group of children that exhibit significant problems with peers and in interactions with parents is children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Given the limited research examining family-peer links in children with ADHD, the purpose of the current study was to examine the association between aspects of the parent-child relationship and peer functioning in boys and girls with and without ADHD. In the current study, participants included 91 boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 11 years old and their parents. Fifty-four of these children were previously diagnosed with ADHD, Combined or Hyperactive/Impulsive Type. Parents and children participated in a parent-child interaction and then completed several measures assessing the parent-child relationship and peer acceptance. Teacher reports of peer acceptance were also obtained. The results of a multiple regression indicate some support for a family-peer links in children with ADHD. Positive parental affect expressed during a parent-child interaction was the strongest predictor of child-reported peer acceptance in children diagnosed with ADHD. However, parents making positive comments about the child or giving physical affection to the child during parent-child interactions did not predict children's peer acceptance. Negative parenting behaviors showed trends toward significance in predicting lower level's of child-reported peer acceptance in both children with ADHD and undiagnosed children. Parents making negative comments about the child appeared to be the most important predictor of low peer acceptance. Parent and child reports of parental rejection failed to show a significant effect for peer acceptance in both children with ADHD and undiagnosed children. However, among children with ADHD, child-reported parental rejection approached significance as a predictor of peer acceptance. Overall, the results of the current study lend some support to the theory that parents of children with ADHD indirectly affect their children's peer acceptance through parent behaviors. Clinically, these results suggest that interventions with children with ADHD could also focus on parents expression of positive affect and decreasing negative comments. The limitations of the current study and directions for future research will be presented