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Parent ADHD Is Associated With Greater Parenting Distress in the First Year Postpartum

Heather M Joseph1, Susheel K Khetarpal1, Michelle A Wilson2

  • 1University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA, USA.

Journal of Attention Disorders
|December 23, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Parents with ADHD experience more parenting distress in their infant

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Pediatric Health

Background:

  • Parenting infants presents unique challenges, particularly when parents have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
  • Limited research exists on the specific experiences and predictors of parenting distress among parents with ADHD and their partners.
  • Understanding these factors is crucial for supporting families with young children where a parent has ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine cross-sectional predictors of parenting distress in parents with and without ADHD who have infants.
  • To identify factors associated with increased distress in the early parenting period for these families.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving 73 mother-father pairs (N=146) with infants aged 6-10 months.
  • Families were divided into two groups: those with at least one parent with ADHD and those without.
  • Multilevel modeling was used to analyze psychosocial predictors of parenting distress.

Main Results:

  • Parental ADHD, lower parent sleep quality, reduced social support, and lower infant surgency/effortful control predicted greater parenting distress.
  • Infant negative affect and infant sleep quality were not significantly associated with parenting distress.
  • Parents with ADHD reported higher levels of parenting distress compared to parents without ADHD.

Conclusions:

  • Parents with ADHD and their partners face heightened parenting distress during the infant's first year.
  • Interventions targeting parental ADHD symptoms, sleep disturbances, and social support may alleviate distress.
  • Addressing these factors can improve mental health outcomes for both parents and infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDinfancysleepstresstemperament

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