Perceived social acceptance and peer status differentially predict adjustment in youth with and without ADHD

This study extends previous research and examined if the longitudinal relation between self-perceived social acceptance and changes in adjustment was moderated by peer status and ADHD diagnosis.

A sample of children with ADHD and a normative comparison group (age 8-13 years) were assessed at baseline and one-year follow-up. Self-perceived social acceptance, peer status, and three areas of adjustment (depression symptoms, aggression/conduct problems, and social skills) were measured.

Moderation was found when predicting depression symptoms and aggression/conduct problems. Specifically, in children with ADHD only, higher perceived social acceptance protected against increases in depression symptoms for those with lower peer preference, but predicted greater aggression/conduct problems for those with higher peer preference. There was not evidence of significant moderation for predicting social skills; instead non-ADHD status, greater peer preference, and greater self-perceived social acceptance were each predictive of greater social skills.

Results highlight the complex association between positive social self-perceptions and adjustment for children with ADHD and caution against a universal assumption that high self-perceptions are adaptive.