The relationship between attachment strategies and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in lebanese children

Abstract

ADHD is considered as the most common disorder in childhood. Empirical research showed that attachment insecurities constitute an important risk factor for ADHD. The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between attachment strategies and ADHD symptoms in a clinical sample of Lebanese children. The study included thirty school-aged children diagnosed with ADHD aged between 7-10 years old. Each child was asked to complete the Ca-Mir ques-tionnaire, which assesses their attachment strategies. As well, parents were asked to complete the Conners Parent Rating Scale - Revised to assess their childs ADHD symptoms before taking any medical or psychological treatment. Our results showed that 90% of our ADHD sample had an insecure attachment strategy. The most prevalent attachment strategy among our ADHD Leb-anese sample is the unresolved attachment strategy. In regard to the association between the ADHD symptoms and attachment strategies, a trend was found which suggests that securely at-tached children are less likely to show ADHD symptoms. On the other hand, children with de-tached and unresolved attachment strategies are more likely to show ADHD symptoms. Fur-thermore, the findings of our study revealed that the severity of ADHD symptoms varies among different attachment strategies.