Father residency and symptoms of ADHD: adult male involvement as a mediator

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the association between fathers' involvement and the presence of later symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. A community-based, nationally representative sample of children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal StudyKindergarten Cohort was utilised. Using a tripartite model, father involvement was investigated as a function of the time a father spent with the child and father's residency status. Structural equation modelling was employed to examine the association of father involvement during the spring semester of kindergarten with the presence of later symptoms of ADHD during the child's spring semester of first grade. Findings from the current study indicate that time children spent with an adult male may mediate the association between father residency and later symptoms of ADHD in children.

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

“…In addition to having less opportunity for mastery experiences associated with lower parenting self-efficacy, previous studies have shown that non-resident fathers tend to reduce contact with children over time (Bernard & Knitzer, 1999;Hamer, 2001;Smock & Manning, 1997). The decrease in interactions may interfere with the mediating role of a male adult on ADHD symptoms found in a study by Barnard-Brak et al (2010), resulting in a lack of association between father residency and ADHD symptoms. Hawkins, Amato, and King (2007) found that non-resident fathers are more likely to be involved in children's lives when the children are high-achieving and exhibit less behaviour problems.…”

“…The relationship could be viewed as bidirectional, and the current models should not be used to infer causation. Male role models appear to provide some buffer for ADHD symptoms, as found by Barnard-Brak et al (2010), and if the resident father is involved from early childhood, then ADHD symptoms may not reach clinical levels in typically developing children.…”

“…This study utilised the Early Childhood Longitudinal StudyKindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), which was also utilised in the study by Schneider and Eisenberg (2006). As a rebuttal to the Schneider and Eisenberg (2006) findings, Barnard-Brak et al, (2010) found that male, either social or biological father, involvement could mediate the effects of father residency on the later development of symptoms of ADHD. The children in the ECLS-K (NCES, 2006) did not have a diagnosis of ADHD but had been rated on the symptoms of ADHD, so the researchers were not able to differentiate between typically developing children and those with a diagnosis.…”

“…As a follow-up to the study by Schneider and Eisenberg (2006), Barnard-Brak, To, Davis, and Thomson (2010) completed a study investigating the relationship between father residency and symptoms of ADHD with adult male involvement serving as a mediator. This study utilised the Early Childhood Longitudinal StudyKindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K), which was also utilised in the study by Schneider and Eisenberg (2006).…”

ADHD Medication Vacations and Parent–Child Interactions by Gender

“…Fathers (both resident and nonresident) do seem to play an important role in the developmental course of ADHD for their children (Barnard-Brak, To, Davis, & Thomson, 2011). Future quantitative research should consider whether the residency status of fathers may be associated with the frequency and duration of medication vacations for children with ADHD.…”