deficit and hyperactivity disorder

We investigated whether the affective temperaments of mothers and maternal depression before and during the index pregnancy are related to the development of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in their children. One hundred and twenty children were screened for the diagnosis of ADHD. After exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied for children and their mothers, we compared the mothers of children with (n = 63) and without ADHD (n = 60) in terms of affective temperament traits, depression before and during the index pregnancy, and some environmental risk factors. The rate of boys were significantly higher among children with ADHD compared to healthy controls. The mothers of children with ADHD had significantly lower education levels, more cigarette consumption during pregnancy, and more depression rates before the pregnancy than those of healthy children. Male gender (p = .002), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) (p = .002), cyclothymic (p = .022), irritable (p = .035) and anxious temperament scores (p = .016) significantly predicted the association between the mothers and their children with ADHD. Our findings might suggest that male child gender, the severity of depression at index pregnancy, higher cyclothymic, irritable, and anxious temperament scores in mothers may constitute as important risk factors for the development of ADHD in their children.Impact statement What is already known on this subject? Although the effects of maternal depression on ADHD were extensively investigated, the relationship between affective temperament traits of mothers and ADHD in their children has not been sufficiently examined. To investigate the roles of maternal affective temperament traits and pregnancy-related depression on offspring ADHD would help us to understand the etiopathogenic bases of ADHD. What do the results of this study add? Cyclothymic, irritable and anxious temperaments of mothers were significantly associated with the offspring ADHD after adjusting for the gender, maternal smoking, prepartum and antenatal depression.C1 [Sair, Yasan Bilge; Sevincok, Levent] Adnan Menderes Univ, Dept Psychiat, Aydin, Turkey.[Sevincok, Doga] Adnan Menderes Univ, Dept Child & Adolescent Psychiat, Aydin, Turkey.[Kutlu, Ayse] Dr Behcet Uz Child Dis & Pediat Surg Training & R, Dept Child & Adolescent Psychiat, Izmir, Turkey.[Cakaloz, Burcu] Pamukkale Univ, Dept Child & Adolescent Psychiat, Denizli, Turkey.[Cakaloz, Burcu] Gelisim Univ, Dept Child & Adolescent Psychiat, Istanbul, Turkey