Klahr, Kristin (5/14) Contributions of family environment to self-regulatory deficits in low socioeconomics status children with and without ADHD (Paul Michael Ramirez, Ph.D.; Sara C. Haden, Ph.D.; Benjamin A. Saunders, Ph.D.)
Socioeconomic status has been consistently linked to health and human functioning in general and has more recently been shown to impact neurocognitive functioning in typically developing children Family environment has been implicated as a causal factor in the demonstrated lower self-regulatory control in lower SES children, yet these relationships have been understudied in children diagnosed with neuropsychiatrie disorders such as ADHD. The present study proposed that SES would have a similar impact on self-regulatory control in children with and without ADHD but that the role of family environment would differ between groups. Data were gathered from 214 children and adolescents on 3 measures of self-regulatory control, 5 measures of family environment, and 4 measures of socioeconomic status to test a moderated mediation model. Using structural equation modeling, results demonstrated that children with ADHD who are lower SES experience impairments in self-regulatory control similar to those found previously in their typically developing peers, yet the model did not support the proposed mediation in either group. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of future research and clinical applications.
