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Meta-Analysis: Parenting Children and Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Compared to Healthy
Tudor Văidean1, Anca Dobrean2, Elena Predescu3
1Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Objective:
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify differences in parenting practices between families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and typically developing controls.
Method:
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing parenting practices among children and adolescents (≤18 years) with a specialist-confirmed ADHD diagnosis and non-clinical controls. PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from inception through August 12, 2025, without language restrictions. Studies were eligible if they used validated instruments to assess at least one parenting dimension and reported comparative data. A total of 62 studies from 19 countries were included (N = 13,105; ADHD = 6,543; controls = 6,562). We computed pooled standardized mean differences (Hedges g) using random-effects models and evaluated heterogeneity (Q and I2), 95% prediction intervals, and risk of bias (Newcastle-Ottawa Scale). Meta-regression and subgroup analyses examined potential moderators.
Results:
Parents of children with ADHD showed significantly lower levels of positive parenting (g = -0.37, 95% CI = -0.46 to -0.27) and higher levels of negative parenting (g = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.39 to 0.56) than controls. The strongest effects were found for authoritative parenting (g = -0.56), warmth (g = -0.45), abuse (g = 0.60), family conflict (g = 0.52), and hostility (g = 0.51). Heterogeneity was high (I2 ≥ 90%), and no consistent moderators or small-study effects were identified.
Conclusion:
Parenting differs significantly between families of children with and without ADHD. Interventions should promote structured, warm, and non-coercive parenting. High heterogeneity and cross-sectional designs limit causal inference.
Study Registration Information:
Comparison between parenting factors in the upbringing of ADHD vs. non-ADHD children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024623095.
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