Abstract
Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) typically experience substantial functional impairment, however, only a portion of the variance in impairment is explained by ADHD symptom severity. Investigating factors that are uniquely associated with children’s functioning is important in identifying potential targets to treat functional impairments among those with ADHD. The present study firstly examined the associations between child ADHD symptom severity, child global functioning, maternal parenting practices and maternal psychopathology. Secondly, it examined whether maternal psychopathology and parenting practices account for unique variance in global functioning above and beyond ADHD symptom severity. Finally, it explored the moderating effects of maternal psychopathology and parenting practices on the relationship between ADHD symptoms and global functioning. Participants were 126 children (51 female, 75 male) aged between 6 and 12 years and their accompanying caregiver. Of these children, 44 were diagnosed with ADHD, and 82 were ‘typically developing’. ADHD symptom severity (K-SADS-PL), global functioning (CGAS), maternal psychopathology (DASS), and maternal parenting practices (APQ) were measured. Partially in line with the hypotheses, bivariate correlations showed that greater impairment in global functioning was associated with more severe ADHD symptoms, higher levels of maternal psychopathology, and greater use of inconsistent discipline and positive reinforcement. Hierarchical linear regression analyses found that among children with ADHD, maternal positive reinforcement explained unique variance in global functioning, above and beyond the effect of ADHD symptoms. However, this relationship was not in the hypothesised direction, i.e., higher positive reinforcement was associated with lower global functioning. No other maternal factors were additionally associated with global functioning, and no significant moderating effects were found. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of ADHD treatment.