Parent-child hostility and child ADHD symptoms: a genetically sensitive and longitudinal analysis
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report higher rates of conflict within the family and more negative parent-child relationships. This study aimed to test whether negative parent-child relationships have a risk effect on ADHD symptoms using two complementary designs. METHOD: The first sample included 886 twin pairs, aged 11-17 years, derived from a population-based twin study. The second sample was derived from a longitudinal community study and included 282 parents and their children, aged 11-14 years. Questionnaires were used to assess ADHD symptoms and hostility in the mother-child and father-child relationship. Bivariate genetic analysis was used to test the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the association between parent-child hostility and ADHD symptoms in the twin sample. Cross-lagged and reciprocal effects models were used to test for a bidirectional relationship between parent-child hostility and ADHD symptoms over time in the longitudinal study. RESULTS: For boys, both genetic and environmental factors contributed to the link between mother-son hostility and ADHD symptoms, but genetic factors alone explained the association between father-son hostility and ADHD symptoms. For girls, the association between ADHD symptoms and mother-daughter hostility as well as father-child hostility was attributed to genetic factors alone. The longitudinal study provided evidence of boys' ADHD symptoms impacting upon mother-son hostility both within and across time. There were no effects in the opposite direction. CONCLUSIONS: A causal hypothesis of family relations influencing ADHD symptoms was not supported. Boys' ADHD symptoms appear to have an environmentally mediated impact upon mother-son hostility.
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Children's ADHD symptoms impact mother-son hostility, rather than hostility having a causal effect on ADHD.
“For example, studies found that children’s ADHD symptoms impact mother-son hostility, rather than the hostility having a causal effect on ADHD (Lifford et al., 2009).”
From A Review of Heterogeneity in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (2019) · cites this paper as Lifford et al., 2009
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“For example, studies found that children’s ADHD symptoms impact mother-son hostility, rather than the hostility having a causal effect on ADHD (Lifford et al., 2009).”
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- Authors
- Lifford, K. J., Harold, G. T., & Thapar, A.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Lifford, Kate J.
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-11-05
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 1468-1476
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- OpenAlex
- W2167350461
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Leicester Research Archive (University of Leicester) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Wellcome Trust
- Academy of Medical Sciences
- Medical Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council (RES-000-23-1380)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Mental Health Research Topics
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, family conflict, mother-child relationship, father-child relationship, genetic and environmental factors, bidirectional relationship, sex differences, twin pairs
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Environment, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Hostility, Humans, Male, Parent-Child Relations, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors
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