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Maternal Parenting Style and Internalizing and ADHD Symptoms in College Students

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Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to test for a relation between emerging adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) status, how they reported being reared (i.e., perceived parenting style), and how the maternal parenting they received in childhood was linked with current adjustment. College students completed online surveys regarding their ADHD status, impairment, and maternal parenting style. Participants with ADHD reported higher levels of maternal authoritarian parenting (controlling/punitive) and lower levels of maternal authoritative parenting (structured/supportive) compared with participants without ADHD. Across the entire sample, higher reported maternal authoritative parenting was associated with lower levels of inattention (IA), hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), depression, anxiety and stress, and higher levels of maternal authoritarian and permissive parenting was associated with higher levels of IA, HI, depression, anxiety, and stress. Sex moderated the relations between maternal parenting style and psychopathology such that women who reported low levels of authoritative parenting also reported higher levels of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, where no differences in psychopathology were found in men across both low and high levels of authoritative parenting. These links between current adjustment and maternal parenting style suggest authoritative parenting may protect against negative adjustment in college students and may be especially important for women.

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Acknowledgements

This study is based on the first author’s Master’s thesis, which has not been previously published in a peer-reviewed journal. A version of this paper appears in a collection of theses in the UNC Systems Libraries database.

Author Contributions

AS designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper. WC designed the study, assisted with data analysis, collaborated with writing the paper, and assisted with final edits of the paper. EL collaborated with the design, collaborated with data analysis, and assisted with paper edits. CH collaborated with the design, assisted with data analysis, assisted with paper edits and supervised data collection.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, Dept. 3415, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

    Anne E. Stevens

  2. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, 28608, USA

    Will H. Canu

  3. University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, 50614, USA

    Elizabeth K. Lefler

  4. University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

    Cynthia M. Hartung

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Stevens, A.E., Canu, W.H., Lefler, E.K. et al. Maternal Parenting Style and Internalizing and ADHD Symptoms in College Students. J Child Fam Stud 28, 260–272 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1264-4

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