The relationship between father residency and a child's ADHD symptoms

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a commonly diagnosed neuropsychological disorder among school-aged children. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between father residency status and children's symptoms of ADHD using a large, nationally representative and community-based sample. To achieve this purpose, structural equation modelling was used to examine the relationship between ADHD symptoms and father residency. The relationship was examined in the context of a sample of typically developing children and a sample of children diagnosed with ADHD. The association between father residency and symptoms of ADHD among typically developing children was significant, but the same relationship among children diagnosed with ADHD was not significant. Father residency appears to share some relationship with symptoms of ADHD, but when symptoms reach the level for a clinical diagnosis, father residency appears to share little relationship with severity of symptoms of ADHD.

Keywords:

• ADHD
• father residency
• early childhood
• family interactions
• father–child relationships