Family Socioeconomic Status and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool Children: The Mediating Role of Executive Function

Liheng Fan; Wenjing Qing; Yinling Wang; Meichen Zhan

doi:10.3390/ijerph191811608

Family Socioeconomic Status and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool Children: The Mediating Role of Executive Function

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Sep 15;19(18):11608. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191811608.

Authors

Liheng Fan^{1

2}, Wenjing Qing², Yinling Wang², Meichen Zhan³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Psychology and Behavior, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
² Department of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.
³ School of Mathematics and Statistics, Pingdingshan University, Pingdingshan 467000, China.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the relationship between family socioeconomic status (SES) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preschool children and the mediating role of executive function (EF). A total of 361 parents of preschool children were surveyed using the self-reported Family Situation Questionnaire, the Child Executive Functioning Inventory, and the Child Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results revealed that (1) there were significant pairwise correlations between SES, EF and its dimensions, and ADHD, except for a non-significant correlation between SES and regulation ability; (2) after controlling for preschool children's age and sex, SES directly predicted preschoolers' ADHD and EF partially mediated the association between SES and ADHD; and (3) among the EF dimensions, working memory and inhibitory ability significantly mediated the association between SES and ADHD, whereas the mediating effect of regulatory ability was not significant. These results suggest that SES can affect the ADHD of preschoolers both directly and through EF, especially through working memory and inhibitory ability. This supports the family stress model and family investment model of the relationship between SES and the development of children to some extent, and provides a reference for the early prevention of ADHD in children with low SES.

Keywords: attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; executive function; family socioeconomic status; preschool children.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / diagnosis
Child, Preschool
Educational Status
Executive Function* / physiology
Humans
Memory, Short-Term / physiology
Social Class

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China’s pedagogy project, “Research on supply-side reform of preschool education in the age of the Internet” (No.: BHA180119).