Emotional functioning, ADHD symptoms, and peer problems: A longitudinal investigation of children age 6-9.5 years

Attitudes of parents of children with ADHD towards genetic testing: Data from a Turkish sample

This study aimed to examine the opinions of parents with children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder about genetic tests. A total of 540 parents living in Turkey participated in the study face-to-face and online. A questionnaire form prepared by the researchers was used as the data collection instrument. Face-to-face data were collected in different institutions in the cities of İzmir, Bursa and Antalya, while online data were collected through Google Forms. The results revealed that parents' views on genetic testing differed according to the sex and age of the child, as well as the parents' level of education and income, and whether the parents had genetic testing during pregnancy (p < 0.05). In the analysis, it was determined that parents' knowledge and awareness levels about genetic tests were generally low, while parents who reported that they would consider having genetic tests had concerns about the storage of their DNA materials, family conflicts that could be caused by genetic tests, and the compatibility of genetic tests with their religious beliefs.

Multi-Trajectories of Conduct Problems, Hyperactivity/Inattention, and Peer Problems Across Childhood: Results from the Growing Up in Scotland Birth Cohort

Using a person-centred approach, this study inspected multi-trajectories of conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention and peer problems, and associated risk factors for group membership. The sample included 3,578 children (50.8% males) from a population birth cohort in Scotland (Growing Up in Scotland). The parental version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used when children were 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 years old. Antecedent factors at the perinatal, child, and family levels were collected using parental reports, observation, and standardised assessments at 10, 24, and 36 months. A group-based multi-trajectory analysis was employed. Findings showed that a six-group model best fit the data. Identified groups included non-engagers, normative, decreasing externalising/low peer problems, low externalising/moderate peer problems, moderate externalising/increasing peer problems and multimorbid moderate-high chronic. Findings suggest multimorbidity between externalising behaviours and peer problems in the more elevated groups. Two common protective factors emerged across all groups: caregiver mental health and parent-infant attachment. Identified risk factors were specific to group membership. Risk factors for the most elevated group included single-parent status, social deprivation, previous neonatal intensive care unit admission, child sex, whilst children's expressive language was a protective factor. Taken together, findings contribute to the emerging literature modelling trajectories of externalising behaviours and peer problems simultaneously and have important practical implications for prevention of problems in childhood, by identifying targets at the perinatal, child, and family levels.

Impairments in Emotion Recognition and Positive Emotion Regulation Predict Social Difficulties in Adolescent With ADHD

BACKGROUND

Emotional dysregulation, poor emotion recognition and impaired response inhibition have been highlighted as potential contributors to social difficulties in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is currently unknown how these areas of impairment relate to one another; therefore, this study aims to identify the areas of emotion regulation which are associated with social difficulties in adolescents with ADHD, and determine whether emotion regulation mediates the relationship between deficits in response inhibition and emotion recognition, and social functioning, in this cohort.

METHODS

Thirty Australian adolescents (Male = 21) with ADHD completed measures of response inhibition, emotion recognition, and emotion regulation.

RESULTS

Positive emotion regulation was significantly associated with social difficulties. Although emotion recognition significantly predicted social difficulties, there was no relationship between emotion recognition and emotion regulation in this sample, ruling out emotion regulation as a mediator of emotion recognition and social difficulties. Whilst response inhibition was significantly correlated with positive emotion regulation, positive emotion regulation did not mediate the relationship between response inhibition and social difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS

Difficulties recognising and regulating emotions appear to independently contribute to social difficulties in adolescents with ADHD. Interventions to increase emotional understanding and developing strategies to down-regulate positive emotions may be beneficial.

Parent ADHD Is Associated With Greater Parenting Distress in the First Year Postpartum

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about the experience of parenting infants when a mother or father has ADHD. This study examined cross-sectional predictors of parenting distress experienced by parents with and without ADHD who also have infants.

METHODS

Participants were 73 mother-father pairs (N = 146) of infants 6 to 10 months old. Half of the families included a parent with ADHD. Psychosocial predictors were tested using multilevel modeling.

RESULTS

Parent or partner ADHD, lower parent sleep quality, fewer social supports, and less infant surgency and effortful control were associated with greater parental distress. Infant negative affect and sleep were not associated.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents with ADHD and their partners experience greater parenting distress in the first year of their child's life than parents without ADHD. Addressing parent ADHD symptoms and co-occurring difficulties, including sleep disturbances, are potential targets for early interventions to maximize both parent and infant mental health outcomes.

Temporal and Reciprocal Relations Between ADHD symptoms and Emotional Problems in School-Age Children

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the reciprocal and temporal relations between ADHD symptoms and emotional problems in school-age children. Method: This 1-year longitudinal study with a four-wave design included 1,253 children and adolescents (254 third graders, 281 fifth graders, and 718 eighth graders; 50.9% boys). ADHD symptoms and emotional problems were measured using parent report of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, Version IV Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Cross-lagged panel analyses indicated that both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms were associated with emotional problems over the 1-year period. However, only inattention symptoms demonstrated a transactional relationship with emotional problems, such that inattention predicted future emotional problems, which in turn led to increases in inattention symptoms. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the transactional and dynamic interplay between inattention symptoms and emotional problems and support the mechanistic role of inattention symptoms in the development and persistence of emotional problems in school-age children.

Self-Concept and Inattention or Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Symptomatology: The Role of Anxiety

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with low levels of self-concept (academic, emotional, social or physical), although this association can differ in the function of the inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptomatology. Furthermore, the relation between ADHD and self-concept can be mediated or moderated by the levels of anxiety. This work is aimed to examine the differential effect of inattention symptomatology and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptomatology on academic, emotional, social and physical self-concept and the mediating or moderating role of anxiety in this relationship. A total of 167 students (70.7% boys and 29.3% girls) aged between 11 and 16 participated in this study. Students' ADHD symptomatology, self-concept in four areas (academic, emotional, social and physical self-concept) and trait anxiety were measured with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. The results indicate that trait anxiety mediates the relationship between inattention and emotional, social and physical self-concept but does not moderate this relationship. Trait anxiety does not mediate or moderate the relationship between hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms and self-concept. When inattention symptomatology increases, academic self-concept decreases directly, but students' emotional, social and physical self-concept decreases indirectly through trait anxiety.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms and happiness among adults in the general population

Despite an increasing focus on the role of mood and emotions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as yet, there has been comparatively little research on positive emotions. To address this research gap, the current study examined the association between ADHD symptoms and happiness using data from the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. The analytic sample comprised 7274 adults aged 18 and above residing in private households in England. Information was collected on ADHD symptoms using the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener, while happiness was assessed with a single (3-point) measure. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis and a mediation analysis were performed to examine associations. Greater ADHD symptom severity was associated with higher odds for feeling less happy. Mood instability (percentage mediated 37.1%), anxiety disorder (35.6%) and depression (29.9%) were all important mediators of the association between ADHD and happiness. Given that happiness has been linked to a number of beneficial outcomes, the results of this study highlight the importance of diagnosing ADHD in adults and also of screening for and treating any comorbid psychiatric disorders in these individuals.