engleski

Disturbance of early parent-ADHD child communication – the risk of physical and emotional abuse

Attention disorder with hyperactivity (ADHD) includes child attention disturbance followed by restlessness and impulsiveness. For this reason, the parents of children with ADHD may fail to identify the child’s difficulties, while having high expectations that the child cannot meet, which then leads to additional frustration. Thus, ADHD children are at a greater risk of physical and emotional abuse by their parents. The aim of this study was to investigate whether ADHD children were more often exposed to physical punishment in comparison with other children treated at our Center for Child Protection, and therefore being at a greater risk of physical and emotional abuse. In a total sample of children (N=1182) treated at the Center from the beginning of 2006 till September 2007, data analysis showed 13, 9% of children to have been exposed to physical punishment. Among children diagnosed with ADHD during their treatment at the Center in the same period (n=74), 16, 2% were exposed to physical punishment by their parents. Physical abuse was present in 1, 4% of ADHD children treated at the Center, while 1, 4% were exposed to emotional abuse. Also, 6, 5% of the children that presented to the Center with suspected ADHD diagnosis were emotionally abused. We did not confirm the hypothesis that children diagnosed with ADHD were to a greater extend exposed to physical and emotional abuse in comparison with other children treated at the Center. The high percentage of physically punished ADHD children (16, 2%) and 6, 5% of emotionally abused ADHD children suggest that these children are at the risk of abuse because the parents behavior beginning as an attempt at bringing the child into line may easily grow to physical and emotional abuse.

ADHD; physical abuse; emotional abuse

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