A mother's mental health is crucial to any child, but for children with ADHD, it may be the difference between a smooth childhood and one filled with errant behaviors such as fighting, bullying and theft, shows University of Maryland research published in the journal Developmental Psychology.
In a longitudinal study which followed children until their 18th birthday, researchers assessed the behavior and development 108 children with ADHD annually. They also observed parenting during the first year and monitored maternal mental health over the course of the study.
Researchers found that positive parenting in the children's early years meant fewer behavior problems in adolescence. They also found that children whose mothers were depressed during these years had significantly more behavior problems, most likely due to these mothers being unable to implement positive parenting techniques. Researchers are now at work designing an intervention for depressed mothers of children with ADHD aimed at reducing maternal depression and teaching them techniques such as using a warm tone of voice with children that may be otherwise difficult.
Read more: For ADHD Children, Mother's Depression & Early Parenting Predict Conduct Problems
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