Profiles of Caregiver-Level Factors Associated with Emotion Regulation in Adolescents with and without ADHD

Environmental factors, most significantly caregivers, substantially contribute to youth emotional development. Emotion regulation (ER) deficits and emotion dysregulation (ED) are a significant, pervasive concern for individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), especially during adolescence. Although there has been empirical support for how caregiver factors independently contribute to youth ER abilities, there is little known about whether there are any underlying patterns or permutations of caregiver-related variables that relate to ER and ED in adolescents. This master’s thesis was a secondary analysis of a multi-site longitudinal study of 266 adolescents (54.1% male; 81.6% White; 51.1% comprehensively diagnosed with ADHD). The primary aims were to explore potential latent profiles of caregiver-level factors in this sample and investigate whether caregiver profiles that emerge vary based on whether their adolescents are diagnosed with ADHD, and whether caregiver profiles relate to adolescent ER and ED outcomes. Three distinct caregiver profiles emerged: Low Internalizing/ED and High Authoritative Parenting, Moderate Internalizing/ED and Permissive Parenting, and High Internalizing/ED and Moderate Authoritative Parenting. Results indicated that caregivers of adolescents with ADHD are more likely to fall into the High Internalizing/ED and Moderate Authoritative Parenting profile. Profiles characterized by authoritative parenting practices were generally associated with better adolescent ER outcomes, though no significant differences in self-reported adolescent ED were observed across profiles. These findings highlight the potential for caregiver psychopathology, ED, and parenting practices to serve as targets for interventions aimed at improving adolescent ER and reducing ED, particularly in neurodiverse populations.