Family Socioeconomic Status and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool Children: The Mediating Role of Executive Function

Liheng Fan (), Wenjing Qing, Yinling Wang and Meichen Zhan
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Liheng Fan: Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Wenjing Qing: Department of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Yinling Wang: Department of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China
Meichen Zhan: School of Mathematics and Statistics, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-9

Abstract: This study aimed to explore the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preschool children and the mediating role of executive function (EF). A total of 361 parents of preschool children were surveyed using the self-reported Family Situation Questionnaire, the Child Executive Functioning Inventory, and the Child Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results revealed that (1) there were significant pairwise correlations between SES, EF and its dimensions, and ADHD, except for a non-significant correlation between SES and regulation ability; (2) after controlling for preschool children’s age and sex, SES directly predicted preschoolers’ ADHD and EF partially mediated the association between SES and ADHD; and (3) among the EF dimensions, working memory and inhibitory ability significantly mediated the association between SES and ADHD, whereas the mediating effect of regulatory ability was not significant. These results suggest that SES can affect the ADHD of preschoolers both directly and through EF, especially through working memory and inhibitory ability. This supports the family stress model and family investment model of the relationship between SES and the development of children to some extent, and provides a reference for the early prevention of ADHD in children with low SES.

Keywords: preschool children; family socioeconomic status; attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; executive function (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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