Biological and rearing mother influences on child ADHD symptoms: revisiting the developmental interface between nature and nurture
Open accessAbstract
Background: Families of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report more negative family relationships than families of children without ADHD. Questions remain as to the role of genetic factors underlying associations between family relationships and children's ADHD symptoms, and the role of children's ADHD symptoms as an evocative influence on the quality of relationships experienced within such families. Utilizing the attributes of two genetically sensitive research designs, the present study examined associations between biologically related and nonbiologically related maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. The combined attributes of the study designs permit assessment of associations while controlling for passive genotype‐environment correlation and directly examining evocative genotype‐environment correlation ( r GE ); two relatively under examined confounds of past research in this area. Methods: A cross‐sectional adoption‐at‐conception design (Cardiff IVF Study; C‐IVF ) and a longitudinal adoption‐at‐birth design (Early Growth and Development Study; EGDS ) were used. The C‐IVF sample included 160 mothers and children (age 5–8 years). The EGDS sample included 320 linked sets of adopted children (age 6 years), adoptive‐, and biologically related mothers. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal ADHD symptoms, parenting practices, child impulsivity/activation, and child ADHD symptoms. A cross‐rater approach was used across measures of maternal behavior (mother reports) and child ADHD symptoms (father reports). Results: Significant associations were revealed between rearing mother ADHD symptoms, hostile parenting behavior, and child ADHD symptoms in both samples. Because both samples consisted of genetically unrelated mothers and children, passive r GE was removed as a possible explanatory factor underlying these associations. Further, path analysis revealed evidence for evocative r GE processes in the longitudinal adoption‐at‐birth study (EGDS) from biologically related maternal ADHD symptoms to biologically unrelated maternal hostile parenting through early disrupted child behavior (impulsivity/activation), with maternal hostile parenting and disrupted child behavior associated with later child ADHD symptoms, controlling for concurrent adoptive mother ADHD symptoms. Conclusions: Results highlight the importance of genetically influenced child ADHD ‐related temperamental attributes on genetically unrelated maternal hostility that in turn links to later child ADHD symptoms. Implications for intervention programs focusing on early family processes and the precursors of child ADHD symptoms are discussed.
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A study of children adopted at birth and children conceived through IVF found a role for genetically influenced early child behaviour on the hostility of biologically unrelated mothers, which in turn was a predictor of subsequent ADHD symptoms developed by the children.
“One notable study investigated maternal hostility while controlling for genetic effects by studying children adopted at birth and children conceived through invitro fertilizationand their genetically unrelated rearing m others 53 . The study found a role for genetically influenced early child behaviour on the hostility of biologically unrelated mothers, which in turn was a predictor of subsequent”
From Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (2015) · cites this paper as [53]
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- Authors
- Harold, G. T., Leve, L. D., Barrett, D., Elam, K., Neiderhiser, J. M., Natsuaki, M. N., Shaw, D. S., Reiss, D., & Thapar, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Leicester (GB)
- University of Oregon (US)
- University of Leicester Leicester UK
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- University of Pittsburgh (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Harold, Gordon T.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2013-09-05
- Volume
- 54
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1038-1046
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- PMC
- PMC3767192
- OpenAlex
- W1990730502
- Cited by
- 230
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 27 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 12
- FWCI
- 13.94
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
- NIDA
- OBSSR
- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. PHS (P30 DA023920, R01 DA020585, R01 MH092118)
- Nuffield Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, parental hostility, nature-nurture interaction, family relationships, adoptive mothers, biological mother, early childhood behavior
- MeSH terms
- Adoption, Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Hostility, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mothers, Parenting, Gene-Environment Interaction
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