Parenting Styles and Optimal Internet Use among Children with and without Learning Disabilities and ADHD (Short Paper)

The current study examined which of the three permissive, authoritarian, and authoritative parenting styles is associate with optimal Internet use among children with and without specific learning disorder (SLD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The study comprised of 300 participants; 150 children and their parents, aged 9-12 (M= 10.64), that were divided into two research groups: 71 children with SLD/ADHD and their parents, and 79 children with typical development (TD) and their parents. To ensure optimal data, each child was matched with their parent. A comparison between the two study's groups revealed that the SLD/ADHD group scored higher in the authoritarian style. Also, both parents and children reported on authoritative parenting style. Furthermore, the authoritative parenting style was found to be the optimal one of the three, associated with less cyberbullying. An examination of the frequency, use, and exposure of children to cyberbullying, indicated that an authoritative parenting style had a positive effect on the quality of the relationship between parents and their children, resulting in lower exposure to cyberbullying. This relation was found to be significantly higher among the SLD/ADHD group.