Child Maltreatment and Associated Parental Factors Among Children With ADHD: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the role of child and parental factors in maltreatment of children with ADHD compared with a healthy control group. Method: We examined the rates and correlations of child maltreatment by parents in a sample of children with ADHD ( n = 100) and a matched comparison sample of children without ADHD ( n = 100), all aged 6 to 11 years. Parent and child ratings evaluated demographic characteristics, severity of ADHD symptoms, and childhood trauma exposure. Results: According to regression analysis, maternal hyperactivity/impulsivity and male gender of the child increase the emotional abuse; whereas maternal history of emotional abuse and physical neglect and paternal attention deficit increase sexual abuse, and higher maternal hyperactivity/impulsivity increases emotional neglect of ADHD children. Conclusion: The study’s findings provide strong evidence that the maltreatment of children with ADHD is more associated with parental factors than with the symptoms of ADHD in children.