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Abstract

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly experience friendship problems. The gender composition of friendship dyads is associated with the quality and duration of friendships in neurotypical children; however, virtually nothing is known about whether similar patterns exist in ADHD populations. Because (a) ADHD behaviors are less aligned with girls’ friendship styles and (b) gender dissimilarity undermines relational compatibility, we hypothesized that girl-girl and mixed-gender dyads would exhibit lower friendship quality and stability over time than boy-boy dyads. This is a secondary data analysis of a randomized trial enrolling children with ADHD aged 6-11. The current study included the children who brought a reciprocated friend to the baseline assessment. Results suggested that boy-boy dyads (n = 87) showed poorer friendship quality than girl-girl dyads (n = 44) in observational measures, yet not in questionnaires. Underpowered contrasts involving mixed-gender dyads (n = 18) did not yield differences in friendship quality. No significant differences in friendship stability over time between the three types of dyads emerged. Contrary to the original hypotheses, results for our ADHD sample appeared more similar to the pattern observed in neurotypical children, where girl-girl dyads show better friendship quality. However, our results underscore the importance of using various methods and informants when assessing friendship quality. This research may promote research and clinical understanding of the understudied topic of how ADHD manifests in girls.