Social functioning difficulties in ADHD: association with PDD risk

Abstract

Although social difficulties are a common feature of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), little is known about the diversity of social problems, their etiology, or their relationship to disorders of social behavior, such as autism or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). In 379 children and adolescents with ADHD, social functioning was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991). Factor analysis and structural equation modeling revealed two factors that we labeled Peer Rejection and Social Immaturity. A factor reflecting ;PDD risk' was defined from eight items of a separate screening instrument for PDD and examined for its association with these two social factors. There was a significant association with both factors, but the association was much stronger for the Social Immaturity (Standardized Beta [beta ] = .51) than Peer Rejection (beta = .29) factors. Social Immaturity was also associated with a greater number of hyperactive symptoms while high Peer Rejection was associated with increased aggression and lower IQ in the ADHD children.

Figure 1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Social Problems Scale

Rectangles represent information directly measured (observed) and each rectangle in the model stands for an individual item. Circles represent latent variables or unobserved variables that are not directly measured. The relationships or paths between variables are specified through a series of directional lines. Factor loadings are shown for observed variables on the latent factors. Correlations are represented by double-headed arrows.

Figure 2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of PDD Risk Symptoms Scale

Rectangles represent information directly measured (observed) and each rectangle in the model stands for an individual item. Circles represent latent variables or unobserved variables that are not directly measured. The relationships or paths between variables are specified through a series of directional lines. Factor loadings are shown for observed variables on the latent factors.

Figure 3. Structural equation model of PDD symptoms and Social Problems

Rectangles represent information directly measured (observed) and each rectangle in the model stands for an individual item. Circles represent latent variables or unobserved variables that are not directly measured. The relationships or paths between variables are specified through a series of directional lines. Path coefficients are typically assigned to each line corresponding to the strength of effect. Correlations are represented by double-headed arrows. Model fit indices: χ² = 95.64, df = 48, p = 0.001; CFI = 0.95; TLI = .95, RMSEA = 0.05, and WRMR = 1.04.