What they want and what they get: the social goals of boys with ADHD and comparison boys.
Twenty-seven boys diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 18 comparison boys participated in a competitive tetradic interaction task. Boys were individually interviewed before the game about their goals for the interaction, and adult observers inferred boys' social goals from videotapes of the interaction. Social acceptance was determined by combining positive and negative sociometric nominations collected through individual interviews at the end of the summer research program in which the interaction was held. In their self-reports, ADHD-high aggressive boys prioritized trouble-seeking and fun at the expense of rules to a greater extent than did both ADHD-low aggressive and comparison boys. Observers judged ADHD-high aggressive boys to seek attention more strongly and seek fairness less strongly than of the other two groups. Self-reported goals of defiance and cooperation predicted boys' end-of-program social standing, even with interactional behaviors and subgroup status controlled statistically. Observer-inferred goals were differentially associated with social acceptance for ADHD and comparison boys, suggesting discontinuities in peer interaction processes. Differentiation of goals from behavior and the integral role of children's goals in peer acceptance are discussed.
Melnick
S M
SM
University of California at Berkeley 94720, USA.
Hinshaw
S P
SP
D000374:Aggression / Q000145:classification; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010379:Peer Group; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000523:psychology; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000523:psychology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012059:Rejection, Psychology; D012925:Social Conformity; D012928:Social Desirability; D012938:Social Perception; D012963:Sociometric Techniques
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate