| Abstract: | The present paper examines the relationship between the judge-rated and self-and spouse-reported parenting characteristics of the mothers and fathers of 83 Hyperkinetic/MBD boys, the rated self-esteem of these boys at referral, and their clinical response to CNS medication. Stepwise multiple regression analyses identified five predictors of Self-Esteem Deficits. The direction of the relationships is such that mothers of children with more severe Self-Esteem Deficits did not describe themselves as too strict, were rated higher in the direction of hostility, listed fewer self-reported shortcomings, and described their husbands as too demanding. Fathers of these lower self-esteem boys tended not to describe themselves as too demanding. The size of the multiple correlation indicates that 21% of the measured variation in Self-Esteem Deficits is accounted for by variation in these five significant parenting variables. The severity of Self-Esteem Deficits in these HK/MBD boys is also significantly correlated with the severity of Negative Affect, Aggressive Interpersonal Behavior, and Impulse Control Deficits, three variables which form a factor labelled Aggression. Another stepwise multiple regression analysis identified four predictors of initial response to CNS stimulant medication. The direction of the relationships is such that a more positive drug response is correlated with more inattention in the child, more self-reported mother short comings, more rated love than hostility in the father, and the mother not describing herself as too short-tempered. The size of the multiple correlation indicates that 19% of the measured variation in response to medication is accounted for by variation in these four significant symptom and parenting variables. |
