Developmental relations between ADHD symptoms and bullying perpetration and victimization in adolescence

Abstract

It has previously been hypothesized that individuals with elevated attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are at greater risk of bullying perpetration and victimization. Using autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals (ALT‐SR) and four waves (ages 11, 13, 15, and 17) of longitudinal data from the normative z‐proso study (n = 1526, 52% male), we evaluated the developmental relations between ADHD and bullying using both self‐ and teacher‐reported ADHD symptom data. Analyses suggested that ADHD symptoms primarily increase the risk of bullying perpetration, with a within‐person effect of ADHD symptoms on bullying perpetration symptoms identified across ages 13–15 (β = .13) and ages 15–17 (β = .19) based on self‐reported ADHD symptoms and a similar effect identified across ages 11–13 (β = .24) and 13–15 (β = .29) based on teacher‐reported inattention symptoms. There were also some indications of reciprocal effects and effects involving victimization that merit further exploration in future research. Results imply that the content of bullying intervention and prevention programs should take account of ADHD symptoms to ensure that those with elevated symptoms can benefit as much as their typically developing peers. This will involve addressing bullying perpetration that may reflect impulsive/reactive aggression and impaired social skills rather than instrumental aggression. Further, programs should go beyond classical curriculum/classroom‐based delivery to ensure that individuals with elevated ADHD symptoms can be successfully engaged.

Developmental Risk, Adversity Experiences and ADHD Clinical Profiles: A Naturalistic Exploratory Study

“…It is suggested that greater emotional reactivity, social skill difficulties, and impulsive behaviors associated with individuals with ADHD can elicit negative reactions from peers and place them at greater risk of adversity, rejection, and victimization. Several studies have supported this finding [20].…”

“…Several general psychosocial adversity factors have been studied concerning ADHD [ 2 , 3 ]. Among the factors associated with ADHD are low parental education, low income and poverty, deprivation, hostile parenting, bullying, adverse parenting practices, peer victimization, and family discord [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. A meta-analysis of the dimensions of SES and their association with ADHD indicate that children in families of low socioeconomic status (SES) are, on average, 1.85–2.21 times more likely to have ADHD [ 21 ].…”

Cohort Profile: The Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood (z-proso)

“…Moreover, z-proso contributed the first within-person analyses of developmental cascades between internalising problems and externalising problems and found evidence of externalising-to-internalising cascades until adolescence (Murray et al, 2020c). Reciprocal cascades have also been examined in other domains, such as those between ADHD symptoms and anxiety (Murray et al, 2020a) and bullying perpetration (Murray et al, 2021e) in adolescence, as have mediators of cascades, such as peer and teacher relationship problems (Murray et al, 2021c). This evidence illustrated (reciprocal) cascades in multiple connected domains and highlighted the need for more comprehensive developmental cascade models that capture this inter-relatedness and pay greater attention to the linking mechanisms.…”

Cohort Profile: The Zurich Project on the Social Development From Childhood to Adulthood (Z-Proso)

“…Reciprocal cascades have also been examined in other domains, such as those between ADHD symptoms and anxiety (Murray, Caye, et al, 2020) and bullying perpetration (Murray, Zych, et al, 2021) in adolescence, as have mediators of cascades, such as peer and teacher relationship problems . This evidence illustrated (reciprocal) cascades in multiple connected domains and highlighted the need for more comprehensive developmental cascade models that capture this inter-relatedness and pay greater attention to the linking mechanisms.…”