Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Of Parent-child Attachment Control Study

Objective To explore attachment of children with attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD). To investigate the features of parental attachment in children withattention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and the relationship between attachment ofchildren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and parental attachment.Methods In this cross-sectional designed study, a total of100outpatients withADHD and their parents (ADHD group), and100normal children and their parents(normal group) matched by age and cultural degree participated in thisinvestigation． Children in ADHD group and control group were assessed byadolescent attachment inventory, to compared children’s attachment relationships intwo groups. Parents of the two groups were assessed by experiences in CloseRelationships Inventory, Chinese version (ECR) and Relationship Questionnaire(RQ), to investigate their attachment quality and the relationships with children’sattachment.Results Family attachment security in adolescent attachment inventory of theattention deficit hyperactivity disorder children was lower than that of normalcontrols [(13.84±3.72) vs.(15.11±3.31), P<0.05]. Family attachment reject[(11.91±3.11) vs.(11.91±3.11), P<0.01] and avoidance [(11.19±2.46) vs.(10.18±2.77), P<0.0] in adolescent attachment inventory of the attention deficithyperactivity disorder children were higher than those in controls. Family attachmentanxiety in two groups have no significant differences [(8.37±2.58) vs.(7.93±2.79), P＞0.05].Parental attachment representations in RQ of two groups had no significantdifferences (both P>0.05).There were no statistical significances in paternalattachment avoidance [(3.78±0.56) vs.(3.68±0.55)], paternal attachment anxiety[(3.39±0.86) vs.(3.23±0.86)], maternal attachment avoidance [(3.68±0.68) vs.(3.70±0.54)] and anxiety [(3.23±0.77) vs.(3.42±0.78)] of two groups (all P>0.05).In ADHD group, no positive association was found between children’sattachment dimension and parental attachment dimensions (all P＞0.05).In control group, attachment anxiety dimension of children was positively related to paternalattachment anxiety dimension (r=0.228, P<0.05), attachment avoidance dimension ofchildren was positively related to maternal attachment avoidance dimension (r=0.226,P<0.05). Correlation coefficient hypothesis test didn’t show statistical differences inthe correlation coefficients of the two groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusions Security of attachment in children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder is lower than the controls, avoidance and reject are higher thanthose in normal controls. Attachment quality of children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder is worse than normal children. There are no significantdifferences in the features of parental attachment between children with ADHD andnormal children. Parental attachment has no direct influence on attachment ofchildren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The current study infers thatADHD is a mainly biological factors disease, and the drug treatment has importantimplication in the therapy of ADHD. At the same times, corresponding psychologicalguidance and education based on for psychological behavior characteristics ofchildren with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and parent-child interactionproblems in ADHD family are beneficial to disease rehabilitation and healthy in mindand body promotion of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder children.