Maternal exacerbating and protective factors that shape the prevalence and severity of child attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a narrative review.

Abstract in brief

• This narrative review explores how maternal genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors influence the severity and prevalence of ADHD in children, highlighting areas such as SNPs, mitochondrial DNA, prenatal stress, and exposure to toxins.
• It emphasizes that both risk factors (like maternal stress, maltreatment, and toxin exposure) and protective factors (such as high socioeconomic status and positive parenting) can affect ADHD symptom severity, potentially interacting with maternal genetics.
• The review also discusses neurological differences in children with ADHD, including brain activity patterns, and suggests that understanding maternal influences could improve clinical approaches and interventions.