AN INVESTIGATION OF IMPULSIVITY AND STIMULUS SEEKING IN MOTHERS OF HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN.
Contributors: New York University.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 136
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of maternal impulsivity and stimulus seeking to the presence of hyperactivity in their child.

This study was based on theory and research which supported the idea that hyperactivity is at least in part a problem in social learning and that mothers of these children have reported themselves as hyperactive. Since hyperactive children have been found to be particularly susceptible to modeling and rewards, two salient features of hyperactivity, stimulus seeking and impulsivity, were measured in mothers.

This is a criterion group design in that characteristics of one group, mothers of hyperactive children are compared with characteristics of its counterpart, mothers of nonhyperactive children.

Three hypotheses were investigated. The general hypothesis stated that mother's level of impulsivity and stimulus seeking would discriminate between hyperactive and nonhyperactive groups. This hypothesis was tested using a hierarchical stepwise multiple discriminant analysis with age and socioeconomic status as covariates. This hypothesis was significant at the p < .01 level.

Two specific hypotheses were also tested. The first hypothesis predicted that impulsivity would be greater in mothers of hyperactive children than in mothers of nonhyperactive children. A separate discriminant analysis was performed using response time as a measure of impulsivity after controlling for age. The first hypothesis was highly significant for a p < .001. Therefore this hypothesis was supported.

The second specific hypothesis tested was that stimulus seeking would be higher in mothers of hyperactive children than in mothers of nonhyperactive children. A separate discriminant analysis here found that after controlling for age, stimulus seeking was significant but in the opposite way than predicted for a p < .05. Therefore this hypothesis was not supported.

Several factors were identified which may have contributed to the opposite results obtained for the second specific hypothesis. The need for continued clarification of the nature of stimulus seeking in hyperactivity is recommended. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: B, page: 1932.

Thesis (PH.D.)--NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 1986.

School code: 0146.