Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Parental Autonomy Support Moderates the Link Between ADHD Symptomatology and Task Perseverance

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry & Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current study investigated the moderating role of mother and father autonomy support in the link between youth Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms and task perseverance. ADHD symptomatology was assessed using a multi-informant composite of mother, father, and teacher ratings, and youth perseverance and parental support of autonomy were examined using a behavioral observation paradigm (i.e., difficult puzzle task). Results indicated that youth who were rated as exhibiting more symptoms of ADHD persevered less on a difficult puzzle task and that this relationship was moderated by parental level of autonomy support. In the context of high parental autonomy support, the negative relation between ADHD and perseverance became nonsignificant. Findings indicate that supporting youth autonomy may have significant implications for their development and that it would be valuable to aid parents in developing the appropriate skills necessary for them to successfully support their child’s autonomy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Household income was not correlated with parental autonomy support (r = .04, p = .800) or child task perseverance (r = .05, p = .750).

  2. Other behavioral problems including internalizing (r = .10, p = .472) and externalizing (ODD and Conduct) problems were not associated with perseverance on the task (r = .18, p = .211 and r = .19, p = .193 for ODD and Conduct, respectively).

References

  1. Nigg J, Nikolas M (2008) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In: Beauchaine TP, Hinshaw SP (eds) Child and adolescent psychopathology. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, pp 335–369

  2. Barry TD, Lyman RD, Klinger LG (2002) Academic underachievement and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: the negative impact of symptom severity on school performance. J Sch Psychol 40:259–283. doi:10.1016/S0022-4405(02)00100-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. DuPaul GJ, McGoey KE, Eckert TL, Vanbrakle J (2001) Preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Impairments in behavioral, social, and school functioning. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 40:508–515. doi:10.1177/106342660201000103

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Faraone SV, Biederman J, Lehman BK, Spencer T, Norman D, Seidman LJ et al (1993) Intellectual performance and school failure in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and their siblings. J Abnorm Psychol 102:616–623. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.102.4.616

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Massetti GM, Lahey BB, Pelham WE, Loney J, Ehrhardt A, Lee SS, Kipp H (2008) Academic achievement over 8 years among children who met modified criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at 4–6 years of age. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36:399–410. doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9186-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Barkley RA (1997) Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychol Bull 121:65–94. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.121.1.65

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Dodge KA (1993) Social-cognitive mechanisms in the development of conduct disorder and depression. Annu Rev Psychol 44:559–584. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.44.020193.003015

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Willcutt EG, Doyle AE, Nigg JT, Pennington BF, Faraone SV (2005) Validity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review. Biol Psychiatry 57:1336–1346. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.02.006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Nigg J (2005) Neuropsychologic theory and findings in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The state of the field and salient challenges for the coming decade. Biol Psychiatry 57:1424–1435. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2004.11.011

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Scime M, Norvilitis JM (2006) Task performance and response to frustration in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychol Sch 43:377–386. doi:10.1002/pits.20151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Hamre BK, Pianta RC (2005) Can instructional and emotional support in the first-grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure? Child Dev 76:949–967. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00889.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bloomquist ML, August GJ, Brombach AM, Anderson DL, Skare SS (1996) Maternal facilitation of children’s problem solving: relation to disruptive child behavior and maternal characteristics. J Clin Child Psychol 25:308–316. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2503_7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Neitzel C, Stright AD (2003) Mothers’ scaffolding of children’s problem solving: establishing a foundation of academic self-regulatory competence. J Fam Psychol 17:147–159. doi:10.1037/a0013154

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Grolnick WS, Ryan RM (1989) Parent styles associated with children’s self-regulation and competence in school. J Educ Psychol 81:143–154. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.81.2.143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Pianta RC, Nimetz SL, Bennett E (1997) Mother-child relationships, teacher-child relationships, and school outcomes in preschool and kindergarten. Early Child Res Q 12:263–280. doi:10.1016/S0885-2006(97)90003-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Pianta RC, Smith N, Reeve RE (1991) Observing mother and child behavior in a problem-solving situation at school entry: relations with classroom adjustment. Sch Psychol Q 6:1–15. doi:10.1037/h0088238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Grolnick WS, Gurland ST, DeCourcey W, Jacob K (2002) Antecedents and consequences of mothers’ autonomy support: an experimental investigation. Dev Psychol 38:143–155. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.38.1.143

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Barkley RA (1990) Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a handbook for diagnosis and treatment. Guilford, New York

    Google Scholar 

  19. DuPaul GJ, Barkley RA (1992) Situational variability of attention problems: psychometric properties of the Revised Home and School Situations Questionnaires. J Clin Child Psychol 21:178–188. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2102_10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Freund LS (1990) Maternal regulation of children’s problem-solving behavior and its impact on children’s performance. Child Dev 61:113–126. doi:10.2307/1131052

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Mondell S, Tyler FB (1981) Parental competence and styles of problem solving/play behavior with children. Dev Psychol 17:73–78. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.17.1.73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rogoff B, Ellis S, Gardner W (1984) Adjustment of adult-child instruction according to child’s age and task. Dev Psychol 20:193–199. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.20.2.193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Stright AD, Neitzel C (2003) Beyond parenting: coparenting and children’s classroom adjustment. Int J Behav Dev 27:31–39. doi:10.1080/01650250143000580

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ginsburg GS, Bronstein P (1993) Family factors related to children’s intrinsic/extrinsic motivational orientation and academic performance. Child Dev 64:1461–1474. doi:10.2307/1131546

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ginsburg GS, Grover RL (2007) Child anxiety prevention study coping and promoting strength: coding manual for parent-child interactions. John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  26. Achenbach TM (1991) Manual for the child behavior checklist/4-18 and 1991 profile. Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  27. Achenbach TM, Rescorla LA (2001) Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  28. Hayes AF, Matthes J (2009) Computational procedures for probing interactions in OLS and logistic regression: SPSS and SAS implementations. Behavior Research Methods 41:924–936. doi:10.3758/BRM.41.3.924

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Walcott CM, Landau S (2004) The relation between disinhibition and emotion regulation in boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 33:772–782. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3304_12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Hoza B, Pelham WE, Waschbusch DA, Kipp H, Owen JS (2001) Academic task persistence of normally achieving ADHD and control boys: performance, self-evaluations, and attributions. J Consult Clin Psychol 69:271–283. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.69.2.271

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Kazdin AE, Weisz JR (2003) Evidence-based psychotherapies for children and adolescents. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by The University of Georgia Research Foundation and the William A. and Barbara R. Owens Institute for Behavioral Research.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602-3013, USA

    Kristel Thomassin & Cynthia Suveg

Authors
  1. Kristel Thomassin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cynthia Suveg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristel Thomassin.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thomassin, K., Suveg, C. Parental Autonomy Support Moderates the Link Between ADHD Symptomatology and Task Perseverance. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 43, 958–967 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0306-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0306-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation