Psychology Commons^™

Tolerance To Psychostimulant Medication Among Children With Adhd, Fiona Macphee

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medication is the most commonly received treatment for childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with 90% of children with ADHD having received it at some point in their lives (Danielson et al., 2018). Central Nervous System (CNS) stimulant medication is a well-established short-term treatment for childhood ADHD (Pliszka, 2007). However, there is little support in the literature for long-term benefit of psychostimulants. One possible explanation for this lack of sustained effect is the development of tolerance to the drug. The current study aimed to examine possible evidence of short-term tolerance to stimulant medication, methylphenidate (MPH). Additionally, we investigated previous stimulant medication treatment …

Detecting Risk For Treatment Nonresponse Among Families Of Young Children With Behavior Problems: Candidate Tailoring Variables And Early Decision Points For Adaptive Interventions, Natalie Hong

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heterogeneity in mental health treatment outcomes and high rates of treatment nonresponse highlight the need for adaptive interventions that align with precision mental health care approaches to tailor treatments according to individual differences in progress over time. Modern clinical trial methodologies and analytic strategies can inform dynamic mental health treatment decisions, but the potential to improve patient outcomes is only as strong as the extent to which selected tailoring variables (i.e., interim response factors that dictate whether treatment should shift course) accurately detect risk for treatment nonresponse. Identifying empirically informed tailoring variables and the most appropriate timepoint(s) to assess them …

Alliance-Outcome Associations In Interventions For Youth Internalizing Disorders: Identifying Mediators And Moderators, Deepika Bose

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suboptimal treatment response rates in interventions for youth internalizing disorders (anxiety, depression, OCD) highlight a critical need to enhance intervention outcomes. My dissertation project addresses this need by identifying therapeutic process variables that predict intervention outcomes, and examining how, for whom, and under what circumstances they contribute to outcomes. In a series of three manuscripts, I present findings on a systematic review and meta-analysis of alliance-outcome associations in youths receiving intervention for internalizing disorders (Chapter II) and examine variables that may explain or influence alliance-outcome associations in interventions for internalizing problems in university-based (Chapter III) and usual care …

Examining Positive Behavioral Supports For Children With Challenging Behaviors Across Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Head Start Settings, Bridget Poznanski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Persistent challenging behaviors occur in approximately 30% of children in Head Start, yet only 2% receive services. Children with persistent challenging behaviors in Head Start do not experience the same academic benefit as their peers. Left untreated, behaviors persist and are related to a number of adverse outcomes, which disproportionately impact children from low-income, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Preschool staff feel unprepared to manage challenging behaviors and experience high levels of stress and burnout, indicating need for workforce enhancement. Though interventions that address challenging behaviors in Head Start exist, these programs lack wide dissemination and rely heavily on coaching, …

Exercise, Cognition, And Cannabis Use In Adolescents, Ileana Pacheco-Colón

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heavy and/or chronic cannabis use has been associated with neurocognitive impairment and decline, often in domains such as memory and executive functioning. On the other hand, exercise has been linked to positive effects on brain and cognitive health across the lifespan, as well as to better substance use outcomes. Despite this, little is known about the ways in which exercise could help prevent or ameliorate adverse cannabis-related outcomes among adolescents.

Through three separate studies, the current dissertation examines interrelations among exercise, cognition, and cannabis use in children and adolescents in an effort to determine whether exercise can prevent or ameliorate …