Parental Cognitive Errors Mediate Parental Psychopathology and Ratings of Child Inattention

Abstract

We investigate the Depression-Distortion Hypothesis in a sample of 199 school-aged children with ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive presentation (ADHD-I) by examining relations and cross-sectional mediational pathways between parental characteristics (i.e., levels of parental depressive and ADHD symptoms) and parental ratings of child problem behavior (inattention, sluggish cognitive tempo, and functional impairment) via parental cognitive errors. Results demonstrated a positive association between parental factors and parental ratings of inattention, as well as a mediational pathway between parental depressive and ADHD symptoms and parental ratings of inattention via parental cognitive errors. Specifically, higher levels of parental depressive and ADHD symptoms predicted higher levels of cognitive errors, which in turn predicted higher parental ratings of inattention. Findings provide evidence for core tenets of the Depression-Distortion Hypothesis, which state that parents with high rates of psychopathology hold negative schemas for their child's behavior and subsequently, report their child's behavior as more severe.

Keywords: ADHD; TDAH; Assessment; Depression; Inattention; Sluggish Cognitive Tempo; depresión; evaluación; falta de atención; tiempo cognitivo lento; 抑郁; 注意力不集中; 评估,认知节奏缓慢.

Figure 1. Parental Cognitive Errors as a Mediator of Parental Depression and ADHD with Parental Ratings of Inattention

Note. ⁺ p < .10^*p <.05; ^**p <.01; ^***p <.001. Coefficients in the model are standardized. Higher ratings on the BDI reflect higher depressive symptoms. Higher ratings on the CAARS reflect higher ADHD symptoms. Higher ratings on the PCEQ reflect lower cognitive errors. Higher ratings on the BASC reflect higher inattention ratings.