Abstract
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD-HD) is a family affair. There is robust evidence of the family’s role in both nature and nurture. Twin and family pedigree studies provide compelling evidence of high heritability of the syndrome itself as well as of more specific behavioral domains such as impulsivity and inattentiveness (Edelbrock, Rende, Plomin, & Thompson, 1995; Gillis, Gilger, Pennington, & DeFries, 1992; Gjone, Stevenson, & Sundet, 1996; Goodman & Stevenson, 1989; Zahn-Waxier, Schmitz, Fulker, Robinson, & Emde, 1996; see also Chapter 9, this volume). Psychosocial studies demonstrate that ADHD is also a transactional disorder. Family factors function as causes, correlates, and consequences, as children with ADHD influence and react to their social and physical environments. Although such bidirectional processes of influence define any parent—child relationship, ADHD can be considered a special case in that this disorder imposes more than the usual slate of challenges and demands on caregivers. Moreover, children with ADHD may be particularly vulnerable to adverse or even less than optimal environmental influences. The challenges presented by a child with ADHD can easily overwhelm the family system, especially when (1) available resources are limited, perhaps by family adversity, single parenthood, or parental psychopathology; (2) the child’s deficits and problems are so severe that even skillful and persistent attempts at accommodation and amelioration are ineffective; or (3) there is a poor fit between the personalities and behavioral styles of parent and child. In this chapter we discuss current thinking and research on the family contexts, cognitions, and interpersonal exchanges that characterize ADHD. But first, as an aid to interpretation and integration, we highlight some methodological issues fundamental to research on ADHD families.
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Whalen, C.K., Henker, B. (1999). The Child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Family Contexts. In: Quay, H.C., Hogan, A.E. (eds) Handbook of Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4881-2_6
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