Ineffective parenting practices may maintain or ex- acerbate attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and shape subsequent development of disruptive behavior disorders (DBD ’ s) in youth with ADHD. Recent theoretical models have suggested that parenting may exert effects on ADHD via its role in child temperament. The cur- rent study aimed to evaluate the indirect effects of parenting dimensions on child ADHD symptoms via child tempera- ment. Youth ages 6 – 17 years ( N =498; 50.4 % ADHD, 55 % male) completed a multi-stage, multi-informant assessment that included parent, child, and teacher report measures of parenting practices, child temperament, and ADHD symp- toms. Statistical models examined the direct and indirect ef- fects of maternal and paternal involvement, poor supervision, and inconsistent discipline on inattention and hyperactivity- impulsivity via child temperament and personality traits. Re- sults indicated differential patterns of effect for negative and positive parenting dimensions. First, inconsistent discipline exerted indirect effects on both ADHD symptom dimensions via child conscientiousness, such that higher levels of incon- sistency predicted lower levels of conscientiousness, which in turn, predicted greater ADHD symptomatology. Similarly, poor supervision also exerted indirect effects on inattention via child conscientiousness as well as significant indirect ef- fects on hyperactivity-impulsivity via its impact on both child reactive control and conscientiousness. In contrast, primarily direct effects of positive parenting (i.e., involvement) on ADHD emerged. Secondary checks revealed that similar pathways may also emerge for comorbid disruptive behavior disorders. Current findings extend upon past work by exam- ining how parenting practices influence child ADHD via with- in child mechanisms and provide support for multi-pathway models accounting for heterogeneity in the disorder.
