Parental ADHD and ASD symptoms and contributions of psychosocial risk to childhood ADHD and ASD symptoms in children born very preterm

Objectives: Examine maternal and paternal ADHD and ASD symptoms in relation to very preterm (VPT) and full-term (FT) children’s ADHD and ASD symptoms. Study design: In this longitudinal study, maternal- and teacher-report of child ADHD and ASD symptoms were obtained for 119 children (VPT = 79, FT = 40) at age 5-years using the Conner’s Rating Scale-Revised (CRS-R) and Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2). A biological parent completed self- and observer-report CRS-R and SRS-2, and measures of mood/affect, stress, and social support to assess psychosocial distress. Data were analyzed using mixed-effect models adjusted for covariates. Results: Child ADHD symptoms were associated with VPT birth, maternal distress, and maternal ADHD symptoms (p ≤ 0.02), and paternal ADHD symptoms (p < 0.001). Regarding ASD, VPT birth and parental ASD symptoms were associated with child ASD symptoms (p ≤ 0.009). Parental symptoms and birth group had no interaction. Conclusions: VPT birth and parental psychopathology represent independent risks for ADHD and ASD.