Date of Award

Summer 7-1-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Liz O'Laughlin

Second Advisor

Liz Smith

Third Advisor

Veanne Anderson

Abstract

Maternal psychopathology generally has been associated with greater likelihood of childhood pathology (e.g., Bellina et al., 2020) which is likely due to both genetic (e.g. heritability of mental health diagnoses) and environmental (e.g., parenting) influences. ADHD, in particular, is a disorder with a high heritability rate (Kuja-Halkola et al., 2015). Other parent mental health difficulties, such as anxiety or depression, can also influence parenting behavior as well as child behavior. Broadly, maternal psychiatric history is related to child ADHD symptom severity (López Seco et al., 2015). Positive parenting may be especially important when parenting a child with ADHD as positive and supportive parenting is associated with fewer ADHD symptoms (Claussen et al., 2022. However, previous studies have found that parents of children with ADHD as well as ODD tend to display less positive parenting, and more negative parenting (e.g. Wymbs et al., 2015). The present study explored the influence of both negative and positive parenting on the relationship between parent psychopathology and child externalizing behavior. The current study made use of archival data based on evaluations conducted at a university-based ADHD evaluation clinic in the Midwest. The sample included 199 mothers of children ranging in age from 5 to 12 years old who were referred for an ADHD evaluation between 2019 and 2024. Only cases in which the biological mother completed measures for the child evaluation were included. Cases in which mental health history of the biological mother was not available, or unable to be determined from information gathered, were eliminated from the study. Results of the present study indicate that parenting stress is a stronger predictor of parenting behavior and child externalizing behavior than parent mental health diagnosis. The results of this study suggest that maternal stress may be a bigger risk factor for ineffective parenting, and potential negative child outcomes, than parent mental health diagnosis. This information is beneficial for identifying treatment pathways for families of children with ADHD, and how to best help these families to improve parent and child outcomes.

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