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Influence of Child Age and Gender on Parental Reporting of ADHD Symptoms: A Brief Report
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  • Tabish Gul,
  • Abby Jenson,
  • Theresa Moore,
  • Catie Harriman,
  • Hannah White
Tabish Gul
University of Missouri-St Louis Department of Psychological Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abby Jenson
University of Missouri-St Louis Department of Psychological Sciences
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Theresa Moore
University of Missouri-St Louis Department of Psychological Sciences
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Catie Harriman
University of Missouri-St Louis Department of Psychological Sciences
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Hannah White
University of Missouri-St Louis Department of Psychological Sciences
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Abstract

Historically, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been observed at a higher rate in boys compared to girls with some traits being more typical for certain ages than others. Furthermore, studies show that parental reporting of psychopathological symptoms plays a significant role in the diagnostic process, and its accuracy may be affected by a range of sociodemographic factors. The current research investigates whether parental endorsement of children’s ADHD symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria is uniquely influenced by child gender and developmental stage (age), while controlling for subjective social status and validated measures of cognitive self-regulation, such as negative affectivity, surgency, and effortful control. The study included a cross-sectional, non-clinical sample of parents ( N = 132) with children aged 3-6 years (66 girls and 66 boys). It was hypothesized that, accounting for control variables, parent endorsement of ADHD symptoms would be higher for boys compared to girls and higher for younger compared to older children. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression, with negative affectivity, surgency, effortful control, subjective social status, gender, age, and age-gender interaction as predictors. Overall ADHD symptom endorsement, hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention were fit as the outcomes. The resulting three models were statistically significant showing that parents’ endorsement of ADHD symptoms was higher for boys than girls and lower for older than younger children. These findings emphasize the importance of considering a variety of self-regulation measures to produce a more objective diagnosis of ADHD.