Perceived Social Support and Parental Emotional Temperament Among Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

BACKGROUND

This research examined how the emotional temperaments of parents of children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder correlated with their perceptions of their children's social support from friends, teachers, and families. Additionally, the parents' emotional temperaments in terms of their association with children's low and high perceptions of family support were examined.

METHODS

The study included 50 children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, 40 neurotypical control subjects, and their parents. The Symptom Checklist-90-R was used to analyze the parents' psychopathology. The parents' affective temperaments were assessed using the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego-auto questionnaire version. The children's perceptions of their support from their families, peers, and teachers were evaluated using the Social Support Appraisal Scale.

RESULTS

Mothers' depressive (-0.419,  = .002) and anxious temperaments (-0.338, 016) were inversely correlated with perceived social support from parents among children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Mothers' hyperthymic (0.443, 001) and cyclothymic temperaments (0.310, 029) and fathers' hyperthymic temperament (0.371, 008) were positively correlated with perceived social support from parents. Regression analyses revealed that perceived social support from friends was predicted by paternal low cyclothymic and high anxious temperament. They also showed that inattention and mother's general psychopathology predicted perceived social support from family. Perceived social support from teacher was predicted by hyperactivity, maternal low cyclothymic temperament, and paternal high anxious temperament.

CONCLUSION

While parents' depressive and anxious temperaments were associated with low perceived social support from family, hyperthymic and cyclothymic temperaments were associated with increased perceived social support from the family among children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.