PEER VICTIMIZATION IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

This study explored peer victimization in 9- to 14-year-old children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The sample comprised 104 children, 52 of whom had a previous ADHD diagnosis. Children with ADHD had higher overall rates of self-reported victimization by peers and parent- and teacher-reported bullying behavior than did children without ADHD. The rates of victimization were especially high for girls with ADHD. Furthermore, children with ADHD reported higher frequencies of verbal. physical, and relational victimization than did children without ADHD. When data were pooled From children, parents, and teachers, children with ADHD were categorized as victims, bullies, and bully/victims significantly more often than were children without ADHD. Parent ratings of ADHD symptoms predicted self-reported victimization by peers, Neither parent-rated anxious-shy behaviors nor parent- and teacher-rated social skills predicted victimization by peers over and above ADHD symptoms. Parent ratings of oppositional behavior mediated the relationship between ADHD symptoms and parent- and teacher-rated bullying. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.