Family and Contextual Factors That Predict the Development Course of ADHD-Related Behaviors in Early and Middle Childhood
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
Bray, Brandon A
Graduate Program:
Psychology
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
June 29, 2022
Committee Members:
Karen Bierman, Major Field Member Jenae Neiderhiser, Major Field Member Carlomagno Panlilio, Outside Unit & Field Member Cynthia Huang-Pollock, Chair & Dissertation Advisor Kristin Buss (she/her), Program Head/Chair
Keywords:
ADHD School-Risk Elementary Age Mixed Effects Model Trajectory
Abstract:
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related research has identified specific parenting
and family factors that predict more adaptive outcomes. However, less remains known about the
impact of contextual risk factors on the development of ADHD-related behaviors. This study used
mixed effects modeling in a sample of ethnically diverse children from families living in poverty
in the REDI and REDI-P studies who were followed from preschool to third grade to examine
how contextual and family-level factors affect the frequency of ADHD-related behaviors as rated
by teachers when children enter Kindergarten and how they change over time. Results at the
family-level found that higher hostile parenting, lower parental educational involvement, and
parents’ own learning history significantly predicted more frequent ADHD-related child
behaviors at Kindergarten entry; however, this pattern did not hold over time. School context-level risk factors and race-related adversity predicted differences in ADHD-related behaviors
over time. Children of color and children in higher risk schools started school with teachers
reporting less frequent ADHD-related behaviors, but those behaviors increased in frequency over
time. In contrast, White children and children in lower risk schools started with teachers reporting
more frequent ADHD-related behaviors, which decreased over time. These findings illuminate
how studying the development of ADHD-related behaviors at both the family level and the
broader contextual level help to improve our understanding of this neurodevelopmental disorder.
