USA Today reports on new research which suggests a link between children with ADHD and the likelihood of their parents’ divorce. Researchers William Pelham Jr. and Brian Wymbs of the State University of New York-Buffalo find that a child’s disruptive behavior ‘probably pours fuel on other stresses that spark marital conflict.’
reports:
Because ADHD can be inherited, parents often have it too, and that may hinder marriage, says Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, a psychologist at the University of Maryland. If children have ADHD, their mothers are 24 times more likely than other mothers to have it, and fathers are five times more likely, her studies find. Adults with ADHD may be impulsive and find it hard to concentrate or solve problems.
“That can lead to conflict in marriage,” she says, “and a child with ADHD only adds to the stress.”
But the sociologist disagrees…
In other studies, parents of children with ADHD have said they’re less satisfied with marriage. But not all researchers agree that they divorce more. A large Canadian report last year found no higher divorce rate for parents of children with ADHD. Pelham’s group may have particularly bad symptoms because their parents sought treatment, says Lisa Strohschein, a sociologist at University of Alberta who did the Canadian study.
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