"Parenting Adolescents with ADHD: Pathway between Stress, Autonomy-Promotion, and Cohesion"

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

Although adolescents experience a desire for increased independence, continued parent-adolescent cohesion predicts positive developmental outcomes. Adolescents with ADHD may benefit particularly from cohesion (Giannotta & Rydell, 2016); however, such adolescents and their parents often report experiencing atypical conflict and diminished positive interactions compared to typically developing adolescents (Deault, 2010; Steinberg, 2001). Parents of adolescents with ADHD also often report parenting stress and dysregulated parenting (Johnston & Jassy, 2007), which are associated with less positive parent-adolescent relationships. The current study examined relations among parenting stress, autonomy promotion, and cohesion in a sample of adolescents with ADHD and their mothers. We hypothesized that maternal parenting stress would be negatively correlated with maternal autonomy promotion and mother-adolescent cohesion, while autonomy promotion and cohesion would be positively correlated. We subsequently examined whether autonomy promotion mediated the relationship between stress and cohesion. Participants included 107 mothers and their adolescents diagnosed with ADHD (69.2% male; Mage = 12.6; SDage =1.2). Mothers reported parenting stress using the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (Sheras et al., 1998). Adolescents reported mother-adolescent relational cohesion with the 10-item Cohesion scale (Sturge-Apple et al., 2003) and maternal autonomy promotion with the 9-item Autonomy Scale (Soenens et al., 2007).As hypothesized, parenting stress was negatively correlated with autonomy promotion (r = -.21, p < .05) and cohesion (r = -.19, p = .052), and autonomy promotion was positively correlated with cohesion (r = .75, p < .01). Subsequent path analysis indicated that maternal stress was indirectly related to cohesion through its relationship with autonomy promotion (See Figure 1). Greater stress was related to lower autonomy promotion (a = -.17, p < .05), and greater autonomy promotion was related to higher cohesion (b = .82, p < .001). The overall indirect effect of maternal stress on cohesion through autonomy promotion was significant (ab = -.14, 95% CI [-.27, -.02]). Results indicate that maternal autonomy promotion is one possible pathway connecting parenting stress to relationship outcomes. Although adolescents with ADHD are less likely to report close, positive relationships with their parents, our findings suggest that promoting mothers’ stress management and appropriate autonomy promotion may be effective avenues for fostering parent-adolescent cohesion. Families experiencing ADHD may need particular support to nurture developmentally-appropriate autonomy, as adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders may need greater structure and guidance than typically-developing peers, even while desiring age-appropriate autonomy.

Authors

• Monica C. Perez, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Dawn M. Gondoli, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christine M. Steeger, University Of Washington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bradley S Gibson, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author