Parent ADHD Is Associated With Greater Parenting Distress in the First Year Postpartum

Abstract

Objective: Little is known about the experience of parenting infants when a mother or father has ADHD. This study examined cross-sectional predictors of parenting distress experienced by parents with and without ADHD who also have infants. Methods: Participants were 73 mother-father pairs ( N = 146) of infants 6 to 10 months old. Half of the families included a parent with ADHD. Psychosocial predictors were tested using multilevel modeling. Results: Parent or partner ADHD, lower parent sleep quality, fewer social supports, and less infant surgency and effortful control were associated with greater parental distress. Infant negative affect and sleep were not associated. Conclusions: Parents with ADHD and their partners experience greater parenting distress in the first year of their child’s life than parents without ADHD. Addressing parent ADHD symptoms and co-occurring difficulties, including sleep disturbances, are potential targets for early interventions to maximize both parent and infant mental health outcomes.

Sleep patterns among preschool offspring of parents with and without psychopathology: Association with the development of psychopathology in childhood

“…For example, a study of mother-father-infant triads with and without parental attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) identified parents with ADHD and their partners as having worse sleep quality than families without ADHD, and parent sleep was the strongest predictor of parenting distress. 26 This example underscores the importance of examining early differential patterns of sleep among offspring of parents with psychopathology. Yet, the vast majority of published studies have focused on community samples of participants but did not recruit those with psychopathology or at-risk for psychopathology by virtue of having a parent with a psychiatric diagnosis.…”

“…Last, parent psychopathology may contribute to increased parenting stress that results in lower distress tolerance around bedtime and/or use of less effective parenting strategies. For example, a study of mother–father–infant triads with and without parental attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) identified parents with ADHD and their partners as having worse sleep quality than families without ADHD, and parent sleep was the strongest predictor of parenting distress 26 . This example underscores the importance of examining early differential patterns of sleep among offspring of parents with psychopathology.…”

Škola je najveći izazov i potreban je drukčiji pristup

“…McDougall Hay & Bennett (2006) explained how raising and caring for a child with ADHD can be particularly stressful due to the constant supervision that is necessary for these children, the heightened concern for the child's safety, difficulties in communication with the child due to their disregulated attention (especially paying attention to parental instructions), as well as difficulties in handling the impulsive behaviour of the child (physical, emotional and cognitive), where the child tends to ADHD kao oblik neurorazličitosti pripada skupini "nevidljivih poteškoća" koje su i dalje podložne društvenom nerazumijevanju, predrasudama, diskriminaciji i stigmi, a javljaju se zbog društvenog nepoznavanja i nerazumijevanja uzroka djetetovog ponašanja, odnosno pripisivanja takvog ponašanja pretjerano popustljivom odgoju (Mueller, Fuermaier, Koerts & Tucha 2012;Lebowitz, 2016;Bisset i sur., 2022). Posljednjih trideset godina cijeli niz istraživanja potvrđuje da se roditelji djece s ADHD-om svakodnevno suočavaju s teretom značajnih izazova u odgoju, ali i vlastitim emocionalnim opterećenjem (frustracijom, iscrpljenošću, depresijom, osjećajem krivnje i samoprijegora, trajnom zabrinutošću za budućnost djeteta), obiteljskim nerazumijevanjem i međupartnerskim sukobima te manjkom podrške od strane stručnjaka, obitelji ili zajednice (Cosser, 2005;Hallberg, Klingberg, Reichenberg & Möller, 2008;Joseph, Khetarpal, Wilson, & Molina, 2022), koji značajno iscrpljuju njihove resurse.…”

ADHD in girls and women: a call to action – reflections on Hinshaw et al. (2021)

“…Indeed, a pregnant women’s behaviours (e.g. inconsistent prenatal care, substance use) can influence foetal brain development and the challenges associated with new parenthood (including lack of sleep, stress, hormonal changes) can further impair a new mother’s ability to provide warm, flexible and emotionally regulated parenting for the infant, particularly in the context of infant difficult temperament (Joseph et al., in press). As parents, women with ADHD struggle with both executive aspects (e.g.…”