TITLE:
Parental Authority Styles of Parents with Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD)
AUTHORS:
Hadas Doron, Adi Sharbani
KEYWORDS:
Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD); Permissive Parenting Style; Authoritarian Parenting Style; Mothers Authority; Fathers Authority
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.1 No.6,
December
2,
2013
ABSTRACT: The aim of the present
study is to examine the differences between parents (mothers and fathers) with
attention deficit
disorders (ADD), and parents without ADD, regarding their characterizing
parenting style (permissive, authoritarian and authoritative) according to
Baumrind (1971, 1991). Many theories have aimed to describe and conceptualize
the concept of parental authority style. The present research uses Baumrind’s
(1971, 1991) theory, which offers three characteristic styles of parental
authority, addresses the ways in which parents settle the needs of their
children, by means of nurturing and limit setting, each according to his
typical style: permissive, authoritarian and authoritative. The point of
departure for this study is, that the parent’s gender in combination with the
parent being diagnosed as with ADD, will predict his parental authority style.
Different researches in the field of Attention Deficit disorders (ADD) point to
gender differences in different characteristics along developmental stages from
childhood to adulthood (Chen, Seipp, & Johnson, 2008). Thus, we postulated that
fathers with ADD will be characterized as with different parenting styles than mothers
with ADD, and in comparison to a control group. Based on different studies, we assumed that fathers
with ADD will be characterized by a less responsible behavior, yet they will be
more direct and active; while mothers with ADD will be typified as more invasive,
demanding and negative (Berger & Landau, 2009; Chronis-Tuscano et al.,
2008). In addition, we hypothesized that fathers with ADD will be found as more
permissive compared to the control group, while mothers with ADD would be more
authoritative compared to the control group. The sample included 62 men, 30 with ADD and 32 control subjects
without ADD, and 61 women, 30 with ADD and 31 without ADD. In order to examine
the hypotheses subjects were instructed to reflect upon their parenting style
in present and/or in the past, and to report it while completing the
questionnaire. Parental authoritative style was examined by means of the Parental
Authority Questionnaire (PAQ) developed by Buri (1991), measuring the parenting
styles as conceptualized by Baumrind. The findings of the research reveal no significant differences
between fathers and mothers without ADD, in neither of the parenting styles,
also no significant difference was found between with ADD and mothers without
ADD in each of the parenting styles.