Executive Functioning, Parenting Style, and Risk-Taking Behaviors among the Offspring of Parents with Huntington’s Disease

Abstract

​Patients of Huntington’s Disease experience decreased capacity for executive functioning. Moreover, HD patients also experience increased levels of impulsivity and risk-taking behaviors. Consequences of these behaviors include disrupted relationships, social isolation, and both legal and financial consequences, all leading to increased stress. As a result, children of parents with HD may have less warmth and structure in their relationships. This may lead to deficits in executive functioning and increases in risky behaviors in their children. Understanding how parenting style moderates the relationship between children’s executive functioning and their risk-taking behaviors may allow future research to develop intervention strategies to create a protective effect against these negative behaviors for children of HD parents.