The relationship among perceived social support, parental temperament characteristics and parental psychiatric symptoms in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship among perceived social support, parental temperament characteristics and parental psychiatric symptoms in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This study also aimed to compare the patients with the control group and to evaluate the effect of parental affective temperament characteristics and parental psychiatric symptoms on ADHD subtypes. Method: Children and youth aged 8-14 years were included in this study as 50 children with ADHD and 40 controls. Psychiatric diagnoses assessed by implementing the semi-structured Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (KID-SADS-PL) and clinical interview. Intellectual Disability was diagnosed by clinical interview, the patients using psychotropicdrugs or the patients have comorbidities were excluded from the study.Clinical variables were measured by using Social Support Scale for Children for all the participants; and DSM-IV Based Screening and Evaluation Scale for Behavior Disorders in Children and Adolescents, Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego – Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) and Symptom Scan List (Scl-90) were self-reported by the participants' parents. Results: The case and control group participants included in the study had similar characteristics in terms of age, gender, and socioeconomic status.The level of social support perceived by the teachers, the friends, and the family was found significantly lower in the participants of the case group than the participants of the control group. Affective temperament characteristics were found significantly higher in the participants' parents of the case group than the participants' parents of the control group(p<0.05).It was determined that hypertimic and cyclothymic temperament characteristics of parents correlated positively with hyperactivity symptoms, and it was found that depressive temperament features in mothers and anxious temperament features in fathers were positive correlations with attention deficit. Discussion and Conclusion: In the results of our study, perceived social support scores were found lower in the case group than the control group; in accordance with the literature. Also, in accordance with the literature, psychiatric symptoms were higher in the case group than in the control group. Considering that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder impairs different social functionalities; it is thought that our study will contribute to the literature in terms of examining the relationship between parental temperament and psychiatric symptoms and perceived social support level. Keywords: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, social support, psychiatric symptom, parental affective temperament features