Abstract
Parenting responsiveness and over-reactivity were assessed among 25 mothers of 7–9-year-old sons with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and oppositional behavior (Oppositional Defiant, OD), 24 mothers of sons with ADHD only, and 38 mothers of nonproblem sons. Responsiveness was observed during mother–son play and clean-up interactions and over-reactivity was assessed using self-reports of parenting in discipline situations. Mothers of sons with ADHD/OD were less responsive and more over-reactive than mothers of nonproblem sons, and mothers of sons with ADHD only did not differ from the other groups. Mothers of sons with ADHD/OD reported more hostility than mothers of nonproblem sons, and controlling for maternal hostility eliminated the significant group differences in responsiveness during clean-up and in over-reactivity. Controlling for the child’s ADHD subtype did not alter the pattern of results. The implications for addressing responsiveness and over-reactivity as components of parent-mediated behavioral treatments for ADHD are considered.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Anastopoulos, A. D., Guevremont, D. C., Shelton, T. L., & DuPaul, G. J. (1992). Parenting stress among families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20, 503–520.
Anderson, C. A., Hinshaw, S. P., & Simmel, C. (1994). Mother–child interactions in ADHD and comparison boys: Relationships with overt and covert externalizing behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 247–265.
Arnold, D. S., O’Leary, S. G., Wolff, L., & Acker, M. M. (1993). The Parenting Scale: A measure of dysfunctional parenting in discipline situations. Psychological Assessment, 5, 137–144.
August, G. J., Realmuto, G. M., Joyce, R., & Hektner, J. M. (1999). Persistence and desistance of oppositional defiant disorder in a community sample of children with ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 1262–1270.
Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (2nd Ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Baumrind, D. (1967). Child care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75, 43–88.
Befera, M. S., & Barkley, R. A. (1985). Hyperactive and normal girls and boys: Mother child interaction, parent psychiatric status and child psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 439–452.
Biederman, J., Munir, K., & Knee, D. (1987). Conduct and oppositional disorder in clinically referred children with attention deficit disorder: A controlled family study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 724–727.
Biederman, J., Newcorn, J., & Sprich, S. (1991). Comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 564–577.
Brown, R. T., & Pacini, J. N. (1989). Perceived family functioning, marital status, and depression in parents of boys with attention deficit disorder. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 581–587.
Campbell, S. B., Breaux, A. M., Ewing, L. J., & Szumowski, E. K. (1986). Correlates and predictors of hyperactivity and aggression: A longitudinal study of parent-referred problem preschoolers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 217–234.
Campbell, S. B., Pierce, E. W., Moore, G., Marakovitz, S., & Newby, L. (1996). Boys’ externalizing problems at elementary school age: Pathways from early behavior problems, maternal control, and family stress. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 701–719.
Carlson, E. A., Jacobvitz, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (1995). A developmental investigation of inattentiveness and hyperactivity. Child Development, 66, 37–54.
Carlson, C. L., Tamm, L., & Hogan, A. E. (1999). The child with oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder in the family. In H. C. Quay & A. E. Hogan (Eds.), Handbook of disruptive behavior disorders (pp. 139–155). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.
Crystal, D. S., Ostrander, R., Chen, R. S., & August, G. J. (2001). Multimethod assessment of psychopathology among DSM-IV subtypes of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Self-, parent, and teacher reports. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 189–205.
Derogatis, L. R. (1993). The brief symptom inventory: Administration, scoring, and procedures manual (3rd ed.). Minneapolis, MN: National Computer Systems.
DuPaul, G. J., Power, T. J., Anastopoulos, A. D., & Reid, R. (1998). ADHD-IV rating scale: Checklists, norms, and clinical interpretation. New York: Guilford.
Eiraldi, R. B., Power, T. J., & Nezu, C. M. (1997). Patterns of comorbidity associated with subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among 6–12-year-old children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 503–514.
Faraone, S. V., & Biederman, J. (1997). Do attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and major depression share familial risk factors? The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 185, 533–541.
Gomez, R., & Sanson, A. V. (1994). Mother–child interactions and noncompliance in hyperactive boys with and without conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 477–490.
Harvey, E., Danforth, J. S., Ulaszek, W. R., & Eberhardt, T. L. (2001). Validity of the parenting scale for parents of children withattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39, 731–743.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. New Haven, CT: Yale University Sociology Department.
Johnston, C. (1996). Parent characteristics and parent–child interactions in families of nonproblem children and ADHD children with higher and lower levels of oppositional-defiant disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 85–104.
Johnston, C., & Mash, E. J. (2001). Families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Review and recommendations forfuture research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 183–207.
Johnston, C., Murray, C., Hinshaw, S. P., Pelham, W. E., & Hoza, B. (2002). Responsiveness in interactions of mothers and sons with ADHD: Relationships to maternal and child characteristics. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 77–88.
Johnston, C., Scoular, D. J., & Ohan, J. L. (2004). Mothers ‘ reports of parent and child behavior in families of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: The influence of impression management. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 26, 45–61.
Landis, J., & Koch, G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33, 159–174.
Lindahl, K. M. (1998). Family process variables and children’s disruptive behaviour problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 12, 420–436.
Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: parent–child interaction. In P. H. Mussen (Series Ed.) & E. M. Heatherington, (Vol. Ed.) Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (4th ed., pp. 1–101). New York: Wiley.
Moffitt, T. E. (1990). Juvenile delinquency and attention deficit disorder: Boys’ developmental trajectories from age 3 to 15. Child Development, 61, 893–910.
Parpal, M., & Maccoby, E. E. (1985). Maternal responsiveness and subsequent child compliance. Child Development, 56, 1326–1334.
Paternite, C. E., Loney, J., & Roberts, M. (1995). External validation of oppositional disorder and attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 453–471.
Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1989). Family interaction patterns and children’s behaviour problems from infancy to 4 years. Developmental Psychology, 25, 413–420.
Shaw, D. S., Owens, E. B., Giovannelli, J., & Winslow, E. B. (2001). Infant and toddler pathways leading to early externalizing disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 36–43.
Shrout, P. E., & Fleiss, J. L. (1979). Intraclass correlations: Uses in assessing rater reliability. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 420–428.
Wahler, R. G., & Meginnis, K. L. (1997). Strengthening child compliance through positive parenting practices: What works? Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 433–440.
Wakschlag, L. S., & Hans, S. L. (1999). Relation of maternal responsiveness during infancy to the development of behavior problems in high risk youths. Developmental Psychology, 35, 569–579.
Whalen, C. K., & Henker, B. (1999). The child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in family contexts. In H. C. Quay & A. E. Hogan (Eds.), Handbook of disruptive behavior disorders (pp. 139–155). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
Winsler, A. (1998). Parent child interaction and private speech in boys with ADHD. Applied Developmental Science, 2, 17–39.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Seipp, C.M., Johnston, C. Mother–Son Interactions in Families of Boys With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With and Without Oppositional Behavior. J Abnorm Child Psychol 33, 87–98 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-0936-x
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-005-0936-x