LAUSR

BACKGROUND Infant temperament predicts harsh parenting, and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Moreover, childhood maltreatment has consistently been associated with later ADHD symptoms. We hypothesized that infant negative emotionality predicted both ADHD symptoms and maltreatment, and that there was a bidirectional association between maltreatment experiences and ADHD symptoms. METHODS The study used secondary data from the longitudinal Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2860). A structural equation model was conducted, using maximum likelihood with robust standard errors. Infant negative emotionality acted as a predictor. Outcome variables were childhood maltreatment and ADHD symptoms at ages 5 and 9. RESULTS The model demonstrated good fit (root-mean-square error of approximation = .02, comparative fit index = .99, Tucker-Lewis index = .96). Infant negative emotionality positively predicted childhood maltreatment at ages 5 and 9, and ADHD symptoms at age 5. Age 5 maltreatment/ADHD symptoms predicted age 9 ADHD symptoms/maltreatment. Additionally, both childhood maltreatment and ADHD symptoms at age 5 mediated the association between negative emotionality and childhood maltreatment/ADHD symptoms at age 9. CONCLUSIONS Given the bidirectional relationship between ADHD and experiences of maltreatment, it is vital to identify early shared risk factors to prevent negative downstream effects and support families at risk. Our study showed that infant negative emotionality, poses one of these risk factors.