Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder and parent-child affective congruence in middle childhood

Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder associated with both social cognition differences (i.e., differences in facial affect categorization) and long-term detrimental social outcomes (i.e., difficulties with employment) among those with the disorder relative to those without it. However, few studies have examined differences in social behavior between people with and without ADHD. The current study examines differences in affective congruence as an indicator of affective perception between people with and without ADHD in a sample of 115 children ages 8-12 and their parents. Parents and children completed two tasks designed to evoke frustration and cooperation together, and were rated by trained coders on their positive and negative affect during each task. Participants' Task 1 affect was then used to predict their family members' Task 2 same-valence affect in an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Positive prediction of participants' Task 2 affect by their family members' Task 1 same-valence affect, reduction of the aforementioned effect with both ADHD diagnosis and parent status, and, finally, a diminished ADHD effect among parents were predicted. Model results indicated that only one predicted effect, the effect of the interaction between ADHD diagnosis and partner's Task 1 positive affect on actor's Task 2 positive affect, was statistically significant. Furthermore, the direction of this effect was reversed compared to the hypothesis, such that people with ADHD ([beta] = 0.36 SE = 0.15, p = .016) displayed greater positive affective congruence than their peers without ADHD ([beta] = -0.16, SE = 0.12, p = .169; [beta]Int = 0.52, SE = 0.19, p = .006). This study highlights the importance of investigating extrapolations from laboratory studies of social cognition to long-term social outcomes via studies of social behavior.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology (MU)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Columbia

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Willis, Mairead

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lane, Sean P.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32469/10355/98818

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/98818