Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms in children of mothers with high and low negative perfectionism

Negative personality traits in mothers play an important role in children's behavioral problems. The aim of this study was to compare the severity of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms in female children of mothers with high and low negative perfectionism. The research method was causal-comparative. The population of this study consisted of mothers of girls aged 5 to 7 years in Arak (N=5522). Using cluster sampling, 448 mothers participated in this study. The Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scales and the Child Symptoms Scale were used to collect data. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the severity of ADHD and ODD symptoms were higher in female children of mothers with high negative perfectionism than those with low negative perfectionism (p < 0.05). Based on the findings, paying attention to the negative aspects of mothers' negative perfectionism and educational workshops are suggested.