Researchers studied 74 children with ADHD and their parents to see how the parent-child relationship related to the children's behavior problems. All the children had the combined type of ADHD. Most were boys (n = 61), and they were 8 to 11 years old (mean age 9.72). Mothers of all 74 children took part, along with 37 fathers. There was no comparison group of children without ADHD.
Parents rated their own relationship with their child and rated the child's behavior. For both mothers and fathers, feeling frustrated with the relationship was linked to worse behavior ratings. This showed up for defiance, aggression, and rule-breaking. The link tended to be stronger for fathers. For example, fathers who felt more frustrated rated their child as more oppositional (r = 0.59).
Some parts of the relationship were tied to fewer problems, but mostly for fathers. Fathers who reported more involvement, better communication, and stronger attachment tended to rate their child as less aggressive. More involvement was linked to more positive ratings for fathers only. Mothers reported more involvement than fathers did.
The study measured everything at a single point in time, so it cannot show what causes what. The father group was small (n = 37), the families volunteered instead of being chosen at random, and most of the measures were parent self-report.
Source: Climie E, Mitchell K. Parent-child relationship and behavior problems in children with ADHD. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities (2016). doi:10.1080/20473869.2015.1112498