Attachment style and relationship difficulties in parents of children with ADHD
Issue Date
2015-04-07Subjects
attachmentattachment style
dyadic adjustment
conflict communication
demand withdraw
parents of children with ADHD
ADHD
L900 Others in Social studies
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Show full item recordAbstract
Previous studies report that parents of children with ADHD often experience difficulties in their couple relationship. The present study investigated the role of adult attachment style in relation to problems with dyadic adjustment and conflict communication. A cross-sectional design was employed, involving 98 parents of children and adolescents with ADHD and 153 parents of offspring without the disorder (age range in 3 to 19). Participants completed the following: Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire-R, Communications Pattern Questionnaire, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Conner's Parent Rating Scale–48. According to the findings, the two parental groups differed regarding relationship difficulties only when attachment style was controlled for. Moreover, attachment avoidance moderated the impact of having a child with ADHD on dyadic adjustment while attachment anxiety moderated such an impact on conflict communication. Also, parents of children with less severe ADHD symptoms were more likely to experience relationship problems, while having a child with ADHD moderated the effects of gender on the roles taken in demand-withdraw communication. Considering adult attachment style may provide useful insights into how parents of children with ADHD relate to each other and may inform supportive interventions.Citation
Sochos A, Yahya F (2015) 'Attachment style and relationship difficulties in parents of children with ADHD', Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24 (12), pp.3711-3722.Publisher
SpringerAdditional Links
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-015-0179-6Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1062-1024ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1007/s10826-015-0179-6