(PS11-A19) Examining the Moderating Effect of Age on ADHD Symptoms and Socioemotional and Behavioral Outcomes in Preschoolers

The negative effects of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on children in preschool have been well researched. During the transition from toddlerhood to preschool, socioemotional development increases rapidly, as children are exposed to new environments, have more social interactions, and usually experience a stricter climate in which they need to adhere to rules for long periods for the first time. Research suggests that as children age through preschool and into elementary school, emotional and behavioral regulation increases exponentially. Research has found that preschool-aged children with ADHD symptoms experience difficulties regulating and understanding their emotions, demonstrate lower prosocial behavior and more conduct problems, and are more likely to have peer problems. Given this information, in the present study, we examined the moderating effect of age on the relationship between ADHD symptoms and social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Our sample consisted of 136 children from rural southeastern Ohio entering preschool in the 2017 and 2018 school years. Teachers completed the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire mid-way through the school year. Two sets of regression analyses were conducted to examine the unique and interactive relations between age, ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity and inattention separately), and four SDQ subscale scores (emotional problems, peer problems, prosocial behavior, and conduct problems). Across all models, independent variables accounted for a significant proportion of variance in each of the SDQ subscales (R² values between .064 and .369). Further, there were significant main effects for hyperactive and inattentive ADHD symptoms on outcomes, whereas there were no main effects for age. All interaction terms were nonsignificant except for emotional problems and inattention (β = .198, p = .025) and hyperactivity (β = .191, p = .036). Next, simple slope analyses were conducted to further probe the moderating effect of age. For inattention, results showed that at one standard deviation below the mean of age, inattention was not significantly related to emotional problems (β = .087, p = .396); however, at one standard deviation above the mean of age, inattention was positively associated with emotional problems (β = .438, p = .001). For hyperactivity, results showed that at one standard deviation below the mean of age, hyperactivity was not significantly related to emotional problems (β = .073, p = .466); however, at one standard deviation above the mean of age, hyperactivity was positively associated with emotional problems (β = .412, p = .004). As mentioned, emotional regulation and inattention/hyperactivity tend to drastically improve during preschool. Results from the moderation analysis indicate that for older preschool-age children, the relation between ADHD symptoms and emotional problems is more robust. It is possible that these relationships were stronger in older children because ADHD symptoms are a precursor for emotional difficulties due to failures and peer difficulties that ADHD symptoms can cause. Longitudinal work is needed to disentangle the causal direction of the development of these constructs.