Abstract
This study examined the quality of parent–child relationships and family functioning of preschool children with early onset hyperactivity by comparing a community sample of 33 pervasively hyperactive preschool boys with a comparison sample of 34 boys. Mothers and children were assessed at home on a range of interview, parent questionnaire, and observational measures of parenting and family functioning. Results of the study showed that higher rates of reported lax disciplinary practices, less efficient parental coping, lower rates of father–child communication, and less synchronous mother–child interactions were significantly associated with hyperactivity following statistical adjustment for the effects of conduct problems and other confounding factors. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was maternal coping. The present findings suggest that the way in which parents interact with their preschool children may make a unique contribution to the development and ongoing behavioral difficulties experienced by children with pervasive hyperactivity. Findings also highlight the importance of considering the role of fathers in the behavioral development of boys with early tendencies to hyperactive and distractible behavior problems.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Arnold, D. S., O'Leary, S. G., Wolff, L. S., & Acker, M. M. (1993). The parenting scale: A measure of dysfunctional parenting in discipline situations. Psychological Assessment, 5, 137-144.
Barkley, R. A., Fisher, M., Edelbrock, C., & Smallish, L. (1991). The adolescent outcome of hyperactive children diagnosed by research criteria-III. Mother-child interactions, family conflicts and maternal psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 32, 233-255.
Behar, L. B. (1977). The Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 5, 265-275.
Buitelaar, J. K., & van Engeland, H. (1996). Epidemiological approaches. In S. Sandberg (Ed.), Hyperactivity disorders of childhood (pp. 26-68). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Campbell, S. B. (1990). The socialization and social development of hyperactive children. In M. Lewis & S. Miller (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychopathology (pp. 77-91). New York: Plenum Press.
Campbell, S. B. (1995). Behavior problems in preschool children: A review of recent research. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 113-149.
Campbell, S. B. (1997). Behavior problems in preschool children: Developmental and family issues. In T. H. Ollendick and R. J. Prinz (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 19, pp. 1-26). New York: Plenum Press.
Campbell, S. B., & Breaux, A. M. (1983). Maternal ratings of activity level and symptomatic behaviours in a nonclinical sample of young children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 8, 73-82.
Campbell, S. B., Breaux, A. M., Ewing, L. J., & Szumowski, E. K. (1986). Correlates and predictors of hyperactivity and aggression: A longitudinal study of parent-referred problem preschoolers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 217-234.
Campbell, S. B., Breaux, A. M., Ewing, L. J., Szumowski, E. K., & Pierce, E. W. (1986). Parent-identified problem preschoolers: mother-child interaction during play at intake and 1-year follow-up. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 14, 425-440.
Campbell, S. B., Pierce, E. W., Moore, G., Marakovitz, S., & Newby, K. (1996). Boys' externalizing problems at elementary school age: Pathways from early behavior problems, maternal control, and family stress. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 701-719.
Campbell, S. B., Szumowski, E. K., Ewing, L. J., Gluck, D. S., Breaux, A. M. (1982). A multidimensional assessment of parent-identified behavior problem toddlers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 10, 569-592.
Carlson, E. A., Jacobvitz, D., & Sroufe, L. A. (1995). A developmental investigation of inattentiveness and hyperactivity. Child Development, 66, 37-54.
Cohen, N. J., & Minde, K. (1983). The 'hyperactive syndrome' in kindergarten children: Comparison of children with pervasive and situational symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 24, 443-455.
Danforth, J. S., Barkley, R. A., & Stokes, T. F. (1991). Observations of parent-child interactions with hyperactive children: Research and clinical implications. Clinical Psychology Review, 11, 707-727.
Dimitracopoulou, I. (1990). Conversational competence and social development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Dowdney, L., Mrazek, D., Quinton, D., & Rutter, M. (1984). Observation of parent-child interaction with two-to-three year olds. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 25, 379-409.
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (1981). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Fagot, B. I. (1995). Parenting boys and girls. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting, Vol. 1. Children and parenting (pp. 163-183). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Gardner, F. E. M. (1987). Positive interaction between mothers and conduct-problem children: Is there training for harmony as well as fighting. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15, 283-293.
Gardner, F. E. M. (1994). The quality of joint activity between mothers and their children with behavior problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 935-948.
Gardner, F. (1997). Observational methods for recording parent-child interaction: How generalisable are the findings? Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 2, 70-74.
Gardner, F. E. M., Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., & Sayal, K. (1999). Parents anticipating misbehavior: An observational study of strategies parents use to prevent conflict with behaviuor problem children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 8, 1185-1196.
Gillberg, C., & Rasmussen, P. (1982). Perceptual, motor and attentional deficits in seven-year-old children: Background factors. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 24, 752-70.
Goldberg, D. P., & Hillier, V. F. (1979). A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychological Medicine, 9, 139-145.
Gomez, R., & Sanson, A. V. (1994). mother-child interactions and non-compliance in hyperactive boys with and without conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 477-490.
Goodman, R., & Stevenson, J. (1989). A twin study of hyperactivity-1. An examination of hyperactivity scores and categories derived from Rutter Teacher and Parent Questionnaires. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 671-689.
Greenberg, M. T., Speltz, M. L., & DeKlyen, M. (1993). The role of attachment in the early development of disruptive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 191-213.
Harvey, E., Danforth., J. S., Ulaszek, W. R., & Eberhardt, T. L. (2001). Validity of the parenting scale for parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Behavior Research and Therapy, 39, 731-743.
Heptinstall, E. (1993). Revised manual for the PACS interview. Unpublished manuscript, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London.
Holden, G. W., & West, M. J. (1989). Proximate regulation by mothers: A demonstration of how differing styles affect young children's behavior. Child Development, 60, 64-69.
Johnston, C. (1996). Parent characteristics and parent-child interactions in families of nonproblem children and ADHD children with higher and lower levels of oppositional-defiant behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 24, 85-105.
Kochanska, G. (1991). Socialization and temperament in the development of guilt and conscience. Child Development, 62, 1379-1392.
Kochanska, G., & Aksan, N. (1995). mother-child mutually positive affect, the quality of child compliance to requests and prohibitions, and maternal control as correlates of early internalization. Child Development, 66, 236-254.
Landis, J. R., & Koch, G. G. (1977). The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics, 33, 159-174.
Lindsey, E. W. (1999, April). Parents as play partners: Mechanisms linking parent-child play to children's social competence. Poster session presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, NM.
Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: parent–child interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 1-101). New York: Wiley.
Mash, E. J., & Johnston, C. (1982). A comparison of the mother-child interactions of younger and older hyperactive and normal children. Child Development, 53, 1371-1381.
McGee, R., Partridge, R, Williams, S., & Silva, P. A. (1991). A twelve-year follow-up of preschool hyperactive children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 224-232.
McGee, R., Williams, S., & Silva, P. A. (1984). Background characteristics of aggressive, hyperactive, and aggressive-hyperactive boys. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 280-284.
Mize, J., & Pettit, G. S. (1997). Mothers' social coaching, mother-child relationship style, and children's peer competence: Is the medium the message? Child Development, 68, 312-332.
Overmeyer, S., Taylor, E., Blanz, B., & Schmidt, M. H. (1999). Pyschosocial adversities underestimated in hyperkinetic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 259-263.
Patterson, G. R. (1982). Coercive family processes. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 329-335.
Pavuluri, M. N., Luk, S.-L., & McGee, R. (1999). Parent reported preschool attention deficit hyperactivity: Measurement and validity. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 8, 126-133.
Pettit, G. S., & Clawson, M. A. (1996). Pathways to interpersonal competence: Parenting and children's peer relations. In N. Vanzetti & S. Duck (Eds.), A lifetime of relationships (pp. 125-154). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Phares, V., & Compas, B. E. (1992). The role of fathers in child and adolescent psychopathology: Make room for daddy. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 387-412.
Prior, M., Leonard, A., & Wood, G. (1983). A comparison study of preschool children diagnosed as hyperactive. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 8, 191-208.
Quinton, D., Rutter, M., & Liddle, C. (1984). Institutional rearing, parenting difficulties and marital support. Psychological Medicine, 14, 107-124.
Routh, D. (1978). Hyperactivity. In P. Magrab (Ed.), Psychological management of pediatric problems (Vol 2). Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
Samudra, K., & Cantwell, D. P. (1999). Risk factors for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In H. C. Quay & A. E. Hogan (Eds.), Handbook of disruptive behavior disorders (pp. 199-220). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Sanson, A., Smart, M. A., Prior, M., & Oberklaid, F. (1993). Precursors of hyperactivity and aggression. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 1207-1217.
Schachar, R. J., Rutter, M., & Smith, A. (1981). The characteristics of situationally and pervasively hyperactive children: Implications for syndrome definition. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 22, 375-392.
Schleifer, M., Weiss, G., Cohen, N., Elman, M., Cvejic, H., & Kruger, E. (1975). Hyperactivity in preschoolers and the effect of methylphenidate. American Journal of 'Orthopsychiatry, 45, 38-50.
Shaw, D. S., & Bell, R. Q. (1993). Developmental theories of parental contributors to antisocial behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 21, 493-518.
Shaw, D. S., Keenan, K., & Vondra, J. I. (1994). Developmental precursors of externalizing behavior: Ages 1 to 3. Developmental Psychology, 30, 355-365.
Shaw, D. S., Owens, E. B., Vondra, J. I., Keenan, K., & Winslow, E. B. (1996). Early risk factors and pathways in the development of early disruptive behavior problems. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 679-699.
Smith, J., & Prior, M. (1995). Temperament and stress resilience in school-age children: A within-families study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 168-179.
Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Daley, D., Thompson, M., Laver-Bradbury, C., & Weeks, A. (2001). Parent-based therapies for preschool attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized, control trial with a community sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 402-408.
Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S., Lamparelli, M., Stevenson, J., Thompson, M., & Henry, A. (1994). Behavior problems and preschool intellectual attainment: The associations of hyperactivity and conduct problems. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 35, 949-960.
Statistics New Zealand. (1995). New Zealand standard classification of occupations. Wellington: Statistics New Zealand.
Steinhausen, H.-Ch. (1995). Diagnostic interviews used in child psychopathology research that included the assessment of hyperkinetic disorders in children. In J. Sergeant (Ed.), Eunethydis: European approaches to hyperkinetic disorder (pp. 149-159). Amsterdam: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam.
Stormont-Spurgin, M., & Zentall, S. S. (1995). Contributing factors in the manifestation of aggression in preschoolers with hyperactivity. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 36, 491-509.
Stormshak, E. A., Bierman, K. L., McMahon, R. J., & Lengua, L. J. (2000). Parenting practices and child disruptive behavior problems in early elementary school. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 29, 17-29.
Taylor, E., Sandberg, S., Thorley, G., & Giles, S. (1991). The epidemiology of childhood hyperactivity (Maudsley Monographs No. 33). New York: Oxford University Press.
Taylor, E., Schachar, R., Thorley, G., & Wieselberg, M. (1986). Conduct disorder and hyperactivity: I. Separation of hyperactivity and antisocial conduct in British child psychiatry patients. British Journal of Psychiatry, 149, 760-767.
Whalen, C. K., & Henker, B. (1999). The child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in family contexts. In H. C. Quay & A. E. Hogan (Eds.), Handbook of disruptive behavior disorders (pp. 139-155). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Woodward, L. J. (1992). Family relationships and childhood hyperactivity. Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of London.
Woodward, L., Taylor, E., & Dowdney, L. (1998). The parenting and family functioning of children with hyperactivity. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 39, 161-169.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Keown, L.J., Woodward, L.J. Early Parent–Child Relations and Family Functioning of Preschool Boys with Pervasive Hyperactivity. J Abnorm Child Psychol 30, 541–553 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020803412247
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020803412247