Effects of Mothers’ Parenting Sense of Competence and Child Gender on Academic Readiness in Preschool Children with Symptoms of ADHD

Abstract

Children with early symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are at risk for poor academic outcomes, but it is unclear how parents mitigate this risk prior to school entry for preschool-aged boys and girls. The current study examined the impact of child gender and mothers’ parenting sense of competence on the relationship between children’s difficulties with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity and their academic readiness. One hundred and nine families of preschool-aged children were recruited from the community. Mothers reported on their sense of parenting competence and on their child’s levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children participated in a standardized clinical measure of academic readiness. Moderated moderation analyses revealed that mothers’ parenting sense of competence significantly moderated the impact of hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms on boys’ academic readiness, but not girls’. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for parenting interventions that target academic readiness in children exhibiting early signs of inattention, hyperactivity, and difficulties with impulse control, particularly young boys showing symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity.