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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on February 5, 2009
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn138
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

ADHD and Anger Contexts: Electronic Diary Mood Reports from Mothers and Children

Carol K. Whalen, PhD1, Barbara Henker, PhD2, Sharon S. Ishikawa, PhD1, Joshua N. Floro, MA1, Natasha A. Emmerson, MA1, Joseph A. Johnston, MD, MSc3 and Ralph Swindle, PhD3

1University of California, Irvine, 2University of California, Los Angeles and 3Eli Lilly & Company

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Carol K. Whalen, PhD, Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, 3340 Social Ecology II, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. E-mail: ckwhalen{at}uci.edu


  Abstract

Objective Using electronic diaries (eDiaries), this study examined temporal links between child and maternal anger, as well as positive mood and perceived stress, in children with attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) versus comparison peers. Methods Across 7 days, half-hourly eDiaries were completed independently by mothers and their 8–12-year-old children (51 receiving medication for ADHD and 58 comparison peers). Results Cross-informant analyses revealed systematic patterns of negative maternal moods in relation to child anger in both groups along with evidence of slower recovery in the ADHD group. Analogously, for both groups, children's anger reports increased and good-mood reports decreased in relation to maternal anger, whereas elevated stress in relation to maternal anger was restricted to children with ADHD. Conclusions The findings indicate that a negative affective climate is more likely to persist in ADHD than in comparison families. They also affirm the utility of child as well as parent eDiary reports and suggest that children may be willing to report low positive mood when reluctant to report negative mood. The promise of incorporating real-time data on mood patterning into tailored treatments for children with ADHD and their families is discussed.

Key words: anger; ADHD; electronic diaries; moods; mother–child relationships..

Received August 4, 2008; revision received November 28, 2008; accepted December 2, 2008


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