| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
|
|
Mothers’ well-being is expected to be negatively influenced by higher scores received on the SDQ in comparison to mothers whose children score lower. Canadian children are more likely to have a mother who is negatively affected by comparably higher behavioral problems. Social support is measured by 7 variables from the NHIS data which determine the frequency of social contact and access to social support. A multidimensional measure of social support is also constructed from the NLSCY data using 7 variables. These variables measure respondents’ levels of satisfaction with the social support that they receive.
Expected Findings
After considering the proposed measures, we can hypothesize a number of ways in which the predictor variables may influence the well-being of mothers of ADHD children in either a positive or negative way. As previously mentioned, research on parenting an ADHD child suggests that mothers of ADHD children experience significantly more stress, anxiety, and depression in comparison to mothers of non-ADHD children. It can be expected that American mothers of ADHD children will have lower levels of well-being in comparison to mothers of non-ADHD children. Secondly, mothers of ADHD children may require more social support to deal with the difficulties of raising an ADHD child than mothers of non-ADHD children. Consequently, both Canadian and American mothers of ADHD children are expected to report higher levels of social support than mothers of non-ADHD children. Furthermore, American mothers are expected to rely more heavily on social support than Canadian mothers. Lastly, since American mothers may place more strain on their social support networks, Canadian mothers are expected to experience the largest gains in well-being from the social support they receive.