Temperament, ADHD and peer relations among schoolchildren: The mediating role of school bullying

The goal of the study is to investigate the link between temperament, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) symptoms. social preference, bullying and victimization. The study sample consisted of 195 children attending the fourth and fifth grade (age 8-10). their mothers and their teachers. A multiinformat approach was used: mothers were interviewed about the temperament (of their children; teachers were asked about ADHD symptoms; children responded to a peer nominations inventory designed to investigate their roles as bullies and/or victims and their social preferences (liked and disliked peers). A Structural Equation Model multigroup analysis (males and females) % as used to test the relationships among variables hypothesized by the authors. The analysis showed that temperamental variables have a direct relation to ADHD symptoms, that ADHD has a direct relation to bullying behavior in males and to victimization in females and that bullies and victims are less well accepted than peers who belong to neither category. A DHD has on[%, an indirect relation to social preference through the mediating role of school bullying.