Parental ADHD Symptoms and Inhibitory Control in Relation to Parenting Among Mothers of Children With and Without ADHD

Abstract

Objective: The study examined how the interplay between maternal ADHD symptoms and maternal inhibitory control and child ADHD is related to parenting behaviors. Method: The sample included 141 mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old children, 61 children with ADHD and 80 without. Parenting was measured using self-reports (i.e., overreactive and lax parenting) and observation (i.e., negative and supportive parenting). Maternal inhibitory control was measured using a neurocognitive task. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to predict parenting, controlling for child sex, conduct behaviors, and parenting distress. Results: Interactions between maternal ADHD symptoms and maternal inhibitory control suggested that hyperactive–impulsive symptoms were linked to parenting negativity only when inhibitory control was low, and maternal inattention symptoms were related to lax parenting only when maternal inhibitory control was high or when children did not have ADHD. Conclusion: Results indicate the importance of maternal regulation processes in the mechanisms linking maternal ADHD with parenting.