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Child attachment and ADHD: a systematic review

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Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a frequent neurodevelopmental disorder in children. ADHD has a multifactorial origin, combining genetic and environmental factors. Several studies suggested an influence of early parent–child relationships on the symptomatic expression of ADHD. In this review, we examine the studies that have investigated the links between attachment and ADHD in children. We searched for studies published between January 2000 and November 2019 on PsychInfo, PubMed, and Scopus. Selected studies included a theoretically based measure of attachment and an explicit measure of ADHD symptoms or an ADHD diagnosis. Studies that included children from adoption, institutionalization, or mistreatment were not included. We found only 26 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Almost all these studies indicated a link between the attachment type and the presence of attentional difficulties and hyperactivity. However, associations were better explained, in several studies, by confounding factors such as comorbidities, cognitive difficulties, or contextual factors. The method used to assess attachment and parental mental health also had an impact. An increasing number of studies show a link between the type of attachment and the presence of attentional difficulties and hyperactivity in children. However, the nature of this link remains unclear. Implications for future research are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

Jean-Francois Wylock is supported by Grant of The Belgian Kids’ Fund for Pediatric Research. The authors thank Jeromy Hrabovecky for proofreading and language editing in this article.

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  1. Hichem Slama and Veronique Delvenne are co-last authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UR2NF-Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group at CRCN-Research Centre in Cognitive Neurosciences, UNI-ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Francois Wylock & Hichem Slama

  2. Higher School of Social Work (HES-SO), Geneva, Switzerland

    Ayala Borghini

  3. Department of Neuropsychology and Speech Therapy, Erasme Hospital, ULB, Brussels, Belgium

    Hichem Slama

  4. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Queen Fabiola Children’s University Hospital (QFCUH), Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Francois Wylock & Veronique Delvenne

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Wylock, JF., Borghini, A., Slama, H. et al. Child attachment and ADHD: a systematic review. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 32, 5–16 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01773-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-021-01773-y

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