Perceived parenting attitudes in relation to ADHD symptoms and aggressive behaviors in a sample of Egyptian children with ADHD

Background Externalizing behaviors are common in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study was aiming to investigate the perceived parenting attitudes in children with ADHD and their correlates to the severity of symptoms and associated aggressive behaviors in those children. Accordingly, 140 children with ADHD were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children; Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Long Version; the problem scale of the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 4-18; and the Perceived Parenting Attitude Scale. Results Assessment of associated behavioral problems in the participants revealed the presence of significant aggressive and externalizing problems. The participants perceived a similar attitude between their mothers and fathers. No significant association is found between severity of ADHD symptoms and perceived parenting attitudes, while consistency in parenting in both mothers and fathers was positively correlated to the aggressive behaviors of the participants. Conclusions Aggression is a common symptom associated with ADHD that should be identified and addressed. Although the current study has revealed that consistency in parenting is positively correlated to the aggression in ADHD children, yet children with ADHD might have a positive illusory bias in their social self-perceptions making it difficult to account for the reliability of their perceived parenting attitudes; hence, it remains to be clarified whether perceived parents' attitudes are attributed to children's aggression or to children's perception caused by the previously mentioned illusory bias. For future research, it is highly recommended to assess parenting from the parents' and their children's points of view.