The relation of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to peer dislike: An examination of potential mediators.

Children who exhibit inattention (IA) and hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI), symptoms often indicative of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have notable social impairments. We investigated whether IA and HI are directly connected to peer difficulties or indirectly connected through their known association with other problem behaviors. Quadratic assignment procedures (QAP) were employed to address the main study questions: Is the relation between a child reporting not wanting to play with a peer who they perceive as HI and/or IA mediated by the child's perception of that same peer as reactively aggressive, instrumentally aggressive, and/or anxiously withdrawn? Participants were 387 fourth and fifth graders nested in 21 classroom-based peer networks.