The relations between parental knowledge, adhd symptoms and risky adolescent behavior at two time points

Background: Previous research has shown that parental knowledge about their adolescents’ whereabouts protects against risky adolescent behavior. Nonetheless, little is known about the impact of a child’s characteristics on parental knowledge. In the current study, we examined the relations between adolescent attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, parental knowledge and risky behavior at two time points, approximately one year apart. Methods: Adolescents (13-18 years) and their parents completed continuous scales assessing parental knowledge, risky behavior, and ADHD symptoms. Results: At both time points, parental knowledge predicted lower risky behavior, and adolescent ADHD symptoms predicted lower parental knowledge and higher risky behavior. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the importance of parental knowledge as a protective mechanism and the challenge of maintaining it in the context of ADHD.