Effects of stimulant medication treatment on mothers' and children's attributions for the behavior of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Participants were 55 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were receiving ongoing treatment with stimulant medications and their mothers, and 31 children with ADHD who were beginning stimulant medi cation and their mothers. Mothers and children offered attributions for chi ld behaviors that occurred when the child was medicated and not medicated. Mothers rated child compliance and prosocial behavior as more global and st able when the child was medicated and rated noncompliance, ADHD symptoms, a nd oppositional behavior as more externally caused, less global and stable, but more controllable by the child when the child was medicated. Children rated both their compliance and noncompliance as more controllable in the m edicated condition. On a forced-choice measure, both mothers and children s elected ability, effort, and task attributions for compliance more in the n ot-medicated condition, and pill-taking attributions more in the medicated condition. This was reversed for noncompliance, which was attributed more t o effort, task, or ability in the medicated condition and more to not takin g a pill in the not-medicated condition. The potential risks and benefits f or parent-child interactions and children's self-perceptions of these medic ation-related differences in attributions are discussed.