Impaired Interparental Relationships in Families of Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

Abstract. Research on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has traditionally focused on the genetic and neurobiological aspects of the disorder, but the role of family relationships has been much less systematically examined. There is growing evidence that the quality of interparental relationships and a child’s ADHD symptoms are reciprocally related. Because the literature appears to be inconsistent, this meta-analysis aims to summarize previous research and assess whether there are robust differences in the quality of interparental relationships between parents of children with ADHD and parents of healthy children. This meta-analysis of 15 studies with 43 effect sizes revealed a small but significant difference ( d = .24), which indicates that parents of a child with ADHD report poorer relationship quality than parents of healthy children. This effect was moderated by the child’s age and did not depend on whether the child had a comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD). The causality of this relationship has yet to be determined.