Secure Attachment Relationships With Mothers, But Not Fathers, Moderate the Relation Between Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Symptoms and Delinquency in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether secure parent-adolescent attachment relationships moderate the longitudinal relation between 9th grade (G9) ADHD symptoms and 12th grade (G12) delinquency within a community sample of adolescents. Method: Participants included 335 9th graders, of whom 203 students completed measures again in 12th grade. Mothers reported on their adolescents’ ADHD symptoms and aggressive behaviors, and adolescents completed measures of their own delinquency and their perceptions of their parent-child attachment relationships. Results: G9 ADHD symptoms predicted increases in G12 delinquent behaviors. Moderation effects were also found such that G9 ADHD symptoms predicted G12 delinquency for only those youth who had moderate or low levels of secure maternal attachment. Paternal secure attachment did not moderate the effects of G9 ADHD symptoms on G12 delinquency. Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of secure maternal attachment relationships in the development of delinquency among adolescents with ADHD symptoms.