TY - JOUR
T1 - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in cultural context II
T2 - a comparison of the links between ADHD symptoms and waiting-related responses in Hong Kong and UK
AU - Chan, Wendy W.Y.
AU - Shum, Kathy Kar man
AU - Downs, Johnny
AU - Liu, Ngai Tsit
AU - Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/6/27
Y1 - 2024/6/27
N2 - The concept of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered to have cross-cultural validity, but direct comparisons of its psychological characteristics across cultures are limited. This study investigates whether preschool children’s ADHD symptoms expressed in two cultures with different views about child behaviour and parenting, Hong Kong and the UK, show the same pattern of associations with their waiting-related abilities and reactions, an important marker of early self-regulation. A community sample of 112 preschoolers (mean age = 46.22 months; 55 from UK, 57 from HK) completed three tasks measuring different waiting elements – waiting for rewards, choosing the amount of time to wait, and having to wait unexpectedly when a task is interrupted. Participants’ waiting-related behavioural and emotional reactions were coded. Parents rated their children’s ADHD symptoms and delay aversion. Our findings revealed that the associations between ADHD symptoms and waiting-related responses were comparable in both UK and HK samples. This suggests that the core psychological characteristics of ADHD, particularly in relation to waiting behaviours, may exhibit similarity across cultural contexts. Future research can extend this cross-cultural analysis to other ADHD-related psychological domains and explore additional cultural settings.
AB - The concept of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered to have cross-cultural validity, but direct comparisons of its psychological characteristics across cultures are limited. This study investigates whether preschool children’s ADHD symptoms expressed in two cultures with different views about child behaviour and parenting, Hong Kong and the UK, show the same pattern of associations with their waiting-related abilities and reactions, an important marker of early self-regulation. A community sample of 112 preschoolers (mean age = 46.22 months; 55 from UK, 57 from HK) completed three tasks measuring different waiting elements – waiting for rewards, choosing the amount of time to wait, and having to wait unexpectedly when a task is interrupted. Participants’ waiting-related behavioural and emotional reactions were coded. Parents rated their children’s ADHD symptoms and delay aversion. Our findings revealed that the associations between ADHD symptoms and waiting-related responses were comparable in both UK and HK samples. This suggests that the core psychological characteristics of ADHD, particularly in relation to waiting behaviours, may exhibit similarity across cultural contexts. Future research can extend this cross-cultural analysis to other ADHD-related psychological domains and explore additional cultural settings.
KW - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
KW - Delay aversion
KW - Preschoolers, self-regulation, cross-cultural
KW - Waiting
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85197950869&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00787-024-02506-7
DO - 10.1007/s00787-024-02506-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85197950869
SN - 1018-8827
JO - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
JF - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
ER -