PARENTING AND MATH PERFORMANCE IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD

Author

Kayla Anne Cooper, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

12-1-2024

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Kibby, Michelle

Abstract

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that can impact various life domains. Children with ADHD commonly exhibit difficulties within the academic domain. It has been suggested that environmental factors, such as those specific to the parent-child relationship, may be related to academic achievement outcomes for children with ADHD. However, there exists a paucity of research regarding the effects of parenting factors (e.g., parental involvement, parenting style/discipline practices) on the academic achievement outcomes in children with differing severity of symptoms on the ADHD symptom domains (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity). Furthermore, there is even less research regarding the effects of these parenting factors on performance in specific academic subjects for children with ADHD. Math achievement is the focus of this thesis, because some researchers have suggested that parenting factors differentially affect performance in math compared to reading in children with ADHD. Although the relationships between parenting factors and math achievement have been explored for children who are typically developing, it has recently been suggested that parent-child relationship factors may impact children with ADHD differently. Therefore, research is needed on this topic, including in relation to math. Parental involvement and discipline practices were examined in relation to math achievement for children with ADHD, using a pre-existing database. It was hypothesized that inattention would be negatively related to basic math performance, but hyperactivity/impulsivity was not. Parental involvement was expected to be curvilinearly related to basic math performance, as were discipline practices. Confirmatory analyses revealed that hyperactivity was negatively related to basic math performance, but inattention was not when basic reading ability was controlled. Neither parental involvement nor discipline practices were curvilinearly related to basic math performance when entered as the independent variable. Exploratory analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between parenting and basic math performance in reverse. Results of these analyses indicated that basic math performance predicted discipline practices, but not parental involvement. Exploratory analyses regarding the potential moderating effects of parenting factors on the relationships between ADHD symptoms and basic math performance also were conducted, along with other exploratory analyses. Parental involvement moderated the relationship between inattention and basic math performance, but discipline practices did not. Furthermore, working memory moderated the relationship between inattention and basic math performance, but not the relationship between hyperactivity/impulsivity and basic math performance. Visual-spatial functioning did not moderate either relationship. Overall, it appears that the relationships between parenting and basic math performance for children with varying levels of inattention are complex. Future research is needed to enhance our understanding of how parent-child relationship factors relate to academic outcomes for children with ADHD. Furthermore, results in this area could be beneficial in determining appropriate targets for interventions (i.e., environmental and non-environmental) aimed at improving academic outcomes for children with ADHD.