Maternal attributions, affect, and parenting in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison families

The goal of this study was to simultaneously examine maternal attributions, affect, and parenting in mothers of children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using a multimethod approach (vignettes, confederate child video clips, and video clips of mother's own child). Of the participants, 23 were 7- to 12-year-old children (19 boys, 4 girls) with ADHD and their mothers, and 29 were 7- to 12-year-old comparison children (21 boys, 8 girls) and their mothers. Results indicated that mothers of children with ADHD attributed inattentive-impulsive behavior to less controllable and intentional factors and reported more negative affect and power assertive parenting in response to it than comparison mothers. They also attributed this behavior to more internal factors than comparison mothers but only when viewing their own children and to more global/stable factors but only when viewing their own children or a confederate child. Interestingly, mothers of children with ADHD reported more positive parenting in response to prosocial behavior while attributing this behavior to less controllable and global/stable factors than comparison mothers; compliance also was seen as less controllable, global/stable, and intentional by mothers of children with ADHD.