Objective: This investigation examined the contribution of anxiety to the social functioning of children with and without ADHD. Method: Participants were 62 children with ADHD (ages 6-10 years and 68% boys) and 62 age- and sex-matched comparison children. Children’s social functioning was measured through parent and teacher reports, observations of social behaviors during a lab-based playgroup with previously unacquainted peers, and peer nominations during that lab-based playgroup. Results: Anxiety symptoms incrementally predicted adult-informant reports of poorer social functioning after controlling for demographic covariates, ADHD status, and oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) status. However, anxiety was not associated with peer nominations received at the playgroup. There were some indications that anxiety may have greater influence on the functioning of comparison children relative to children with ADHD or ODD. Conclusion: Anxiety may contribute to the peer problems of children both with and without ADHD.
AbikoffH.JensenP. S.ArnoldL. E.HozaB.HechtmanL.PollackS.VitielloB. (2002). Observed classroom behavior of children with ADHD: Relationship to gender and comorbidity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 349-359.
2.
AchenbachT. M. (1991a). Manual for Child Behavior Checklist and Revised Child Behavior Profile. Burlington, VT: University Associates in Psychiatry.
3.
AchenbachT. M. (1991b). Manual for Teacher’s Report Form and 1991 Profile. Burlington, VT: University Associates in Psychiatry.
4.
AngoldA.CostelloE. J.ErkanliA. (1999). Comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 57-87.
5.
BowenR. C.ChaviraD. A.BaileyK.SteinM. T.SteinM. B. (2008). Nature of anxiety comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children from a pediatric primary care setting. Psychiatric Research, 157, 201-209.
6.
CarlsonC. L.MannM. (2002). Sluggish cognitive tempo predicts a different pattern of impairment in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31, 123-129.
7.
CoieJ. D.DodgeK. A.CoppotelliH. (1982). Dimensions and types of social status: A cross-age perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18, 557-570.
8.
ConnersC. K. (2001). Conners’ Rating Scales-Revised Technical Manual. New York: Multi-Health Systems Inc.
9.
DishionT. J. (1990). The peer context of troublesome child and adolescent behavior. In LeoneP. E. (Ed.), Understanding troubled and troubling youth: Multiple perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
10.
ErhardtD.HinshawS. P. (1994). Initial sociometric impressions of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys: Predictions from social behaviors and from nonbehavioral variables. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 833-842.
GreshamF. M.ElliottS. N. (1990). Social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: Assistance Service.
13.
HarrisM. J.MilichR.CorbittE. M.HooverD. W.BradyM. (1992). Self-fulfilling effects of stigmatizing information on children’s social interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 41-50.
14.
HinshawS. P. (2002). Preadolescent girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: I. Background characteristics, comorbidity, cognitive and social functioning, and parenting practices. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 1086-1098.
15.
HinshawS. P.ZupanB. A.SimmelC.NiggJ. T.MelnickS. (1997). Peer status in boys with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: Predictions from overt and covert antisocial behavior, social isolation, and authoritative parenting beliefs. Child Development, 68, 880-896.
16.
HolmbeckG. N. (2002). Post-hoc probing of significant moderational and mediational effects in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27, 87-96.
17.
HozaB.GerdesA. C.MrugS.HinshawS. P.BukowskiW. M.GoldJ. A.WigalT. (2005). Peer-assessed outcomes in the Multimodal Treatment Study of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34, 74-86.
18.
HozaB.MrugS.GerdesA. C.BukowskiW. M.KraemerH. C.WigalT.ArnoldL. E. (2005). What aspects of peer relationships are impaired in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 411-423.
19.
JarrettM. A.OllendickT. H. (2008). A conceptual review of the comorbidity of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety: Implications for future research and practice. Clinical Psychology Review, 28, 1266-1280.
20.
JensenP. S.HinshawS. P.KraemerH. C.LenoraN.NewcornJ. H.AbikoffH. B.VitielloB. (2001). ADHD comorbidity findings from the MTA study: Comparing comorbid subgroups. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 147-158.
21.
JensenP. S.MartinD.CantwellD. P. (1997). Comorbidity in ADHD: Implications for research, practice, and DSM-V. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1065-1079.
22.
KarustisJ. L.PowerT. J.RescorlaL. A.EiraldiR. B.GallagherP. R. (2000). Anxiety and depression in children with ADHD: Unique associations with academic and social functioning. Journal of Attention Disorders, 4, 133-149.
23.
KaufmanJ.BirmaherB.BrentD.RaoU.FlynnC.MoreciP.RyanN. (1997). Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and lifetime version (K-SADS-PL): Initial reliability and validity data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 980-988.
24.
KuhneM.SchacharR.TannockR. (1997). Impact of comorbid oppositional or conduct problems on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1715-1725.
25.
LaheyB. B.PelhamW. E.SteinM. A.LoneyJ.TrapaniC.NugentK.BaumannB. (1998). Validity of DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder for younger children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37, 695-702.
26.
MarchJ. S.SwansonJ. M.ArnoldL. E.HozaB.ConnersC. K.HinshawS. P.PelhamW. E. (2000). Anxiety as a predictor and outcome variable in the multimodal treatment study of children with ADHD (MTA). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 28, 527-541.
27.
McClellandG. H.JuddC. M. (1993). Statistical difficulties of detecting interactions and moderator effects. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 376-390.
28.
MikamiA. Y.Huang-PollockC. L.PfiffnerL. J.McBurnettK.HangaiD. (2007). Social skills differences among attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder subtypes in a chat room assessment task. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 509-521.
29.
MikamiA. Y.JackA.EmehC. C.StephensH. F. (in press). Parental influences on children with ADHD: I. Parental behaviors associated with children’s peer relationships. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
30.
MikamiA. Y.LernerM. D.GriggsM. S.McGrathA.CalhounC. D. (in press). Parental influences on children with ADHD: II. A pilot intervention training parents as friendship coaches for their children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
31.
MikamiA. Y.PfiffnerL. J. (2007). Sibling relationships among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11, 1-11.
32.
MilichR.BalentineA.LynamD. (2001). ADHD combined type and ADHD predominantly inattentive type are distinct and unrelated disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8, 463-488.
33.
MTA Cooperative Group. (1999). A 14-month randomized clinical trial of treatment strategies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56, 1073-1086.
34.
NakamuraB. J.EbesutaniC.BernsteinA.ChorpitaB. F. (2009). A psychometric analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist DSM-Oriented Scales. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31, 178-189.
35.
NewcornJ. H.HalperinJ. M.JensenP. S.AbikoffH. B.ArnoldL. E.CantwellD. P.VitielloB. (2001). Symptom profiles in children with ADHD: Effects of comorbidity and gender. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 137-146.
36.
ParkerJ. G.AsherS. R. (1987). Peer relations and later personal adjustment: Are low-accepted children at risk?Psychological Bulletin, 102, 357-389.
37.
PfiffnerL. J.CalzadaE.McBurnettK. (2000). Interventions to enhance social competence. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 9, 689-709.
38.
PfiffnerL. J.McBurnettK. (2006). Family correlates of comorbid anxiety disorders in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34, 719-729.
39.
PliszkaS. R. (1989). Effect of anxiety on cognition, behavior, and stimulant response in ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 882-887.
40.
PliszkaS. R. (1992). Comorbidity of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and overanxious disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 197-203.
41.
PowerT. J.CostiganT. E.EiraldiR. B.LeffS. S. (2004). Variations in anxiety and depression as a function of ADHD subtypes defined by DSM-IV: Do subtype differences exist or not?Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32, 27-37.
42.
QuayH. C. (1997). Inhibition and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 7-13.
43.
RaudenbushS. W.BrykA. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
44.
SchatzD. B.RostainA. L. (2006). ADHD with comorbid anxiety: A review of the current literature. Journal of Attention Disorders, 10, 141-149.
45.
StraussC. C.FrameC. L.ForehandR. L. (1987). Psychosocial impairment associated with anxiety in children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 16, 235-239.
46.
StraussC. C.LaheyB. B.FrickP. J.FrameC. L.HyndG. W. (1988). Peer social status of children with anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 137-141.
47.
TannockR. (2000). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with anxiety disorders. In BrownT. E. (Ed.), Attention-deficit disorders and comorbidities in children, adolescents, and adults (pp. 125-170). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
48.
TannockR.SchacharR. (1995). Differential effects of methylphenidate on working memory in ADHD children with and without comorbid anxiety. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 886-896.
49.
WechslerD. (2003). Manual for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). New York: Psychological Corporation/Harcourt Brace.
