Temperament, ADHD and peer relations among schoolchildren: the mediating role of school bullying

Abstract

The goal of the study is to investigate the link between temperament, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, social preference, bullying and victimization. The study sample consisted of 195 children attending the fourth and fifth grade (age 8-10), their mothers and their teachers. A multiinformant approach was used: mothers were interviewed about the temperament of their children; teachers were asked about ADHD symptoms; children responded to a peer nominations inventory designed to investigate their roles as bullies and/or victims and their social preferences (liked and disliked peers). A Structural Equation Model multigroup analysis (males and females) was used to test the relationships among variables hypothesized by the authors. The analysis showed that temperamental variables have a direct relation to ADHD symptoms, that ADHD has a direct relation to bullying behavior in males and to victimization in females and that bullies and victims are less well accepted than peers who belong to neither category. ADHD has only an indirect relation to social preference through the mediating role of school bullying.

Temperament, Bullying, and Dating Aggression: Longitudinal Associations for Adolescents in a Romantic Relationship

“…As seen in Figure 1 , a trait indicating poorer behavioral regulation in Grade 6 (i.e., lower inhibitory control) predicted higher bullying perpetration 2 years later in Grade 8. The result is consistent with previous associations between bullying perpetration with lower inhibitory and effortful control (e.g., Bacchini et al, 2008 ; Terranova et al, 2008 ). This finding supports evolutionary proposals that traits may have been selected for if they increase chances of survival ( D. M. Buss, 2011 ).…”

Victimization, Physical Activity, and Affective Outcomes During Recess in Students with and Without Disabilities

“…The latter finding is well-established in the literature (e.g., Hansen, Steenberg, Palic, & Elklit, 2012). Meanwhile, the first of these results corroborates previous research (e.g., Bacchini et al, 2008;Heiman et al, 2015) suggesting that, in addition to struggling socially during recess, those with disabilities may be more likely to experience bullying. Bullying is defined as "repetitive and abusive behaviour by a student, or group of students, towards a weaker classmate" (Bacchini et al, 2008, p. 448).…”

Borderline typical symptoms in adult patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

“…In contrast to studies in childhood (Bacchini et al 2008), adult males with ADHD in our sample did not display higher hostility scores than females with ADHD. Instead, we found comparable hostility scores in female ADHD and BPD patients.…”