Father involvement and self-reported parenting of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

This study examined the moderating effects of 4 variables on the relation between father involvement (FI) and self-reported parenting practices of 71 couples who have children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The variables were parents' love for their spouses, similarity in child-rearing views, traditional role identification, and paternal ADHD symptoms. These variables interacted with FI in predicting parenting practices. FI was associated with fathers' use of more effective discipline when fathers had no ADHD symptoms and reported more love for their wives but was associated with fathers' use of less effective discipline when fathers reported having ADHD symptoms, when they reported less love for their wives, and when they identified highly with traditional roles. For mothers, FI was associated with less effective discipline practices when couples' child-rearing views were dissimilar.