3 - (SYM 113) Testing Parent Self-esteem as an Indicator of Mothers and Fathers Who Are at Risk for Aversive Responses to Disruptive Child Behaviors

Research has shown that parent couples often respond aversively (i.e., negative parenting, interparental conflict) to managing disruptive child behavior. There is a therapeutic need to identify those particularly prone to aversive responses in moments of child-induced stress. Research suggests that parents with low parenting self-esteem or chronic exposure to disruptive child behavior (e.g., raising a child with ADHD) might be particularly at risk of aversive responses to disruptive child behavior. The current study examined whether the synergy between low parenting self-esteem and raising a child with ADHD identifies parents most at risk of responding aversively to managing disruptive child behavior.

Ninety parent couples (including 51 raising a child with ADHD) were randomly assigned to interact with a confederate child trained to enact “disruptive” ADHD/ODD-like behavior or “typical” non-disruptive behavior. Observers coded parenting and interparental communication behaviors exhibited during the interactions. Parents reported on their parenting self-esteem before the child interaction and rated their partners’ parenting and communication behavior afterward.

Linear regression analyses revealed 3-way (parenting self-esteem x child ADHD status x confederate behavior) interactions predicted parenting and interparental communication behavior. Mothers reporting low parenting self-esteem and raising a child with ADHD were especially likely to have partners endorse low positive parenting (R² = .384) and to have coders observe high negative interparental communication (R² = .200) when managing the disruptive confederate. Fathers reporting low parenting self-esteem and raising a child with ADHD were especially prone to negative interparental communication behavior (according to partners and coders) when managing the disruptive confederate (R² = .208, R² = .424).

            Our findings highlight that low parenting self-esteem and raising a child with ADHD increases the risk of parents responding aversively to managing disruptive child behavior. If replicated, parents of children with ADHD who report low parenting self-esteem appear most susceptible to aversively responding in the moment to their child’s misbehavior and should be screened in for treatment. For the sake of improving therapeutic outcomes, research should assess for possible mediating variables (e.g., affective distress) triggered by low parenting self-esteem that, if targeted in treatment, could reduce aversive responses to disruptive child behavior.