Mother-Child Interpersonal Dynamics: The Influence of Maternal and Child ADHD Symptoms

The relations between maternal and child ADHD symptoms and interpersonal behaviour were examined. Mother-child dyads (N = 59), with children 8- to 12-years-old, exhibiting a range of ADHD symptoms, participated in a problem-solving task. Participants' interpersonal behaviours (along continuums of affiliation: friendliness-hostility and control: dominance-submissiveness) were coded on a continuous moment-to-moment basis, as the interaction unfolded, using a joystick technique. Elevated ADHD symptoms, in both mothers and children, were associated with less overall affiliative interpersonal behaviour. Further, while dyads generally showed complementary behaviour, dyads in which the child had elevated ADHD symptoms demonstrated less complementarity on the affiliation dimension. Finally, the higher the child's ADHD symptoms, the less affiliative and less dominant the mother became over the course of the interaction. Findings highlight ways in which individual differences in ADHD behaviour impact interpersonal functioning and have implications for interventions aimed at enhancing parent-child relationships.