The Moderating Role of the Student-Teacher Relationship on the Inattentive Presentation of ADHD in Girls and Experiences of Peer Victimization

Girls tend to display higher rates of inattentive ADHD symptoms than boys (Hinshaw, 2022)

Girls with inattentive ADHD symptoms are at risk for peer victimization (Elkins et al., 2011), due to deficits in emotion regulation and inappropriate social behaviors (Soucisse et al., 2015)

Girls most often experience social victimization  (e.g., spreading rumors, ignoring) (Rose & Rudolph, 2006)

Teachers can serve as a protective factor against peer victimization for girls with inattentive ADHD symptoms (Iznardo et al., 2023).

Positive student-teacher relationships can promote self-regulation and prosocial skills (Iznardo et al., 2023)

Self-regulation and prosocial skills are associated with lower rates of peer victimization (Bustinza et al., 2022)

Miami University PSY 112 students (n= 140, Mage= 18.84 ± 0.96, 97.9% cisgender women, 90.7% White) completed an online self-report survey in March 2026

Inattentive symptoms: Current report of the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale IV (BAARS-IV; Barkley, 2011; a=.91)

Social Victimization: Retrospective report (i.e., 9th grade) of the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument social subscale (Balan et al., 2022; a=.92)

Impairment: The Bully Survey – Student Version (BYS-S;Hamburger et al., 2011; a = .80)

Student-Teacher Relationship: Retrospective report (i.e., 9th grade) of the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (Brinkworth et al., 2018; a=.90 for positive subscale and a=.81 for negative subscale)

Participants completed the positive subscale for a teacher they were close to, and the negative subscale for a teacher they did not get along with 

This project was approved by the IRB at Miami University (#02455r)

This sample reported low levels of inattention and social victimization/impairment 

Future studies might look at a clinical population of inattentive ADHD rather than inattention on a continuous scale

Prior studies that indicated student-teacher relationships as protective against peer victimization were on younger populations (e.g., Iznardo and colleagues (2023) studied 6-12 year olds)

For high school students, peer relationships might be more protective (Kok et al., 2016)

Future studies might sample high school students, as retrospective reporting impacts recalled memory of experiences (Hassan, 2005)

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