Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Communication Of Mental Health Diversity To The Early Childhood Age Group: “The Adventures Of Anxious Anderson, Distracted Daniel, And Organized Olive”, Jessica Gower

Honors Projects

In this project, I aim to explore various aspects of communication, cognitive ability, and mental health diversity in early child development. The three research questions guiding this project are: What cognitive and language abilities do children in the early childhood stage of development have? What are the most effective strategies for communicating information about mental health disorders to children ages 4 to 7 through storytelling? And lastly, how do anxiety, attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) manifest, particularly in children? The storybook's purpose is to create a sense of empathy and understanding of mental health diversity in children …

The Non-Standardization Of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: A Call To Action, Gabriel L.S Gomez

Psychology Doctoral Specialization Projects

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most diagnosed disorders in adults and children, yet there is no standardized method to assess for ADHD. The similarity of symptoms shared across other disorders (comorbidity) makes the assessment of ADHD a very delicate process. This is not aided by the fact that the assessment of ADHD is not standardized. This allows individuals able to assess for ADHD to give a test or a combination of tests that they find fitting. This in turn brings into question the quality of testing and disagreement in diagnosing across fields. Lastly, ADHD-focused measures typically …

Comorbid Adhd And Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Prevalence And Risk Factors, Sarah Bills

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood condition that places youth at increased risk for deficits in attention and executive functioning suggestive of increased rates of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There is pronounced inconsistency in reported prevalence rates for attention deficits and ADHD diagnoses among youth with SCD, which is due in part to variability in methodology of previous studies. The primary aim of the present study is to use systematic screening to identify the prevalence of inattentive ADHD symptoms and ADHD diagnoses in a pediatric SCD population seen at a large hematology clinic. A secondary aim is …

The Underdiagnosis Of Adhd In Children Of Color, Nadia X. Avila

Culture, Society, and Praxis

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that remains underdiagnosed in children of color. I originally argued that the underdiagnosis of ADHD in children of color may be the result of their parents’ and teachers’ lack of knowledge about the disorder. I also provided evidence supporting that another reason for the underdiagnosis of ADHD in children of color may be from racism among their teachers. My research concluded that both sides of my argument were valid and potential reasons for why there is an underdiagnosis of ADHD in children of color.

The Relationship Between Background Music And Symptomatology In Adults Diagnosed With Adhd, Michelle L. Spiewak

Dissertations

Individuals who have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience symptoms that interfere with their daily functioning, concentration, and performance at school, at home, in the workplace, and in social settings. Previous research has been conducted into the effects of background music on various facets of learning, mostly with populations of children and individuals without ADHD. The focus in this clinical research project was to examine the relationship between background music and symptomatology in 18 adult students between the ages of 18 and 26 years who had been diagnosed with any type of ADHD. Results did not indicate significance …

Sex And Gender Differences In Attention-Deficit / Hyperactive Disorder (Adhd): A Literature Review, Kaitlyn N. Blair, Min Young Kim

Research Day

Background:

The American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) Sex and Gender Health Collaborative identified the need for a concise factsheet for clinicians outlining sex and gender differences in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) as ADHD is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and frequently misdiagnosed in women due to lack of recognition of gender-specific presentation. AMWA's goal is to improve access and exposure to sex and gender differences in healthcare as few medical schools educate students on these differences. The poster summarizes the reviewed literature on the prevalence, diagnosis, referral for, prevention, clinical presentation, and treatment of ADHD with a goal to reduce sex and …

Childhood-Onset Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Exacerbates Opioid Use Disorder Consequences: Mediation By Impulsive Phenotypes, Liam R. Browning, Ciara Cannoy, Tabitha E. H. Moses, Leslie H. Lundahl Phd, David M. Ledgerwood Phd, Mark K. Greenwald Phd

Medical Student Research Symposium

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is highly prevalent and associated with opioid use disorder (OUD). Yet, little is known about the mechanisms by which ADHD (which is a heterogeneous construct/diagnosis) might alter the trajectory of OUD outcomes.

Aim: This cross-sectional study examines relationships between childhood ADHD (inferred as predating substance use) and the extent to which the effects of ADHD on lifetime heroin-use consequences are mediated by foreshortened time perspective and drug-use impulsivity.

Methods: Individuals who report heroin use (N=214) were screened using the Assessment of Hyperactivity and Attention (AHA), Impulsive Relapse Questionnaire (IRQ), Stanford Time Perception Inventory (STPI), …

Diversity In Diagnosis: A Comparative Relationship Between The Social Behavioral Effects And Timing Of Adhd Diagnosis In African American Adults, K. N'Kira Hailey

Senior Projects Spring 2023

The symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are first seen during childhood and can persist throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Symptoms of ADHD can differ between childhood and adulthood, and there can also be a difference in symptoms for African American adults compared to other groups. Childhood social support and mental health stigma can affect the probability of a person seeking professional help. In addition, the severity of their symptoms, especially if untreated, may lead to experiences of impostor syndrome. This study examined these three social behavioral effects in Black adults in three diagnosis conditions: diagnosed as (1) a child, (2) …

Medication Versus Mindfulness Meditation On Symptoms Of Adhd In Adult Women, Maria Skoulidas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA recent spike has occurred in women diagnosed with less common and often overlooked ADHD symptoms. Using the mindfulness to meaning theory as the foundation, this study was conducted to explore how mindfulness meditation (MM) and medication affected three related factors commonly found in women with ADHD, self-concept, risky behaviors, and familial relationships. The research questions were formulated to determine if there was a difference in subscale scores of each variable based on the type of treatment the participant was using, either mindfulness meditation (MM) or prescription medication, to deal with ADHD symptoms. A pre-experimental static group comparison design was …

Executive Functioning Among The Karyotypes In Turner Syndrome And Implications For Interventions, Sara Scull

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder seen in phenotypically female (pf) individuals who have either a complete or partial absence of the second sex (X) chromosome. TS includes different karyotypes, and it presents with a variety of phenotypic and genotypic features. In general, the neuropsychological profiles for individuals diagnosed suggest that TS can contribute to challenges in various aspects of daily life, including social and emotional functioning. With regard to academic performances, individuals with TS often present with relative strengths in a range of verbal abilities and relative weakness in visual-spatial/perceptual abilities, nonverbal memory, motor function, processing speed, executive …

The Impact Of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd) On Learning In Children, Jessica J. Shaw

The Confluence

Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) commonly struggle in academic institutions as they face symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and other traits that prohibit them from succeeding in academics. Children with ADHD may also exhibit behavioral issues such as hostility and aggression towards their peers that may diminish interpersonal relationships with peers and parents. Such issues can cause learning difficulties in children with ADHD as it is difficult to stay still, focus, and listen to teachers in academic settings. Interviews conducted by a clinician are the first step towards an ADHD diagnosis. An ADHD diagnosis is important because the disorder can …

Relations Of Eeg And Perceived Response To Methylphenidate Among Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Tara M. Rutter

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Methylphenidate (MPH) is a common stimulant medication that has demonstrated efficacy in treatment among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as those with co-occurring oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms (Connor et al., 2002, Cortese et al., 2018). However, there are currently no known reliable markers to predict response to MPH (Kim et al., 2015) and current approaches rely on trial-and-error by patients. Electroencephalographic (EEG) methods show promise as one tool to identify and predict MPH response. The current study examined relations between EEG frequencies and perceived response to MPH across both ADHD and ODD symptoms utilizing caregiver …

Parental Help-Seeking Intentions For Childhood Adhd In Asian Indian American Parents: Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Nandini Jhawar

Theses - ALL

Background: Pediatric attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent, impairing disorder with significant public health burden. Unfortunately, there is considerable delay to treatment and a low rate of lifetime treatment contact for individuals with ADHD, especially among ethnic minorities. The Asian Indian American (AIA) population, one of the fastest growing minority populations in the United States, has been ignored completely in ADHD help-seeking research. To fill this void, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework was used to examine how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control affect help-seeking intentions for ADHD in AIAs. Method: 191 parents (53% …

Self-Control Depletion, Frustration Tolerance, Irritability, And Engagement In Risky Behaviors In College Students With And Without Adhd Risk, Catherine L. Montgomery

Theses - ALL

Background: ADHD prevalence rates in college students are increasing, with approximately 8.7% of college students reporting current ADHD diagnoses. College students with ADHD often have poor self-control, low frustration tolerance, and associated irritability. These associated features of ADHD are, in turn, associated with engagement in risky behaviors and social impairments.

Method: The present study used the Self-Control Strength Model as a theoretical framework to experimentally examine (a) relationships between ADHD symptoms, frustration tolerance, irritability, and self-control resource depletion and (b) associations between these variables, social functioning, and engagement in risky behaviors. College student participants (n=247) completed state and trait baseline …

An Assessment Of Adhd/Ld Support In Psyd Programs From The Perspective Of Faculty Advisors, Mac Zimdars

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Among psychologists and doctoral psychology students, 14.3% and 10.7% reported having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or learning disabilities (LD), respectively; 67.3% of those with any disability experienced disability-related impediments and discrimination during graduate school or the application process (Lund et al., 2014). This paper is focused on assessing current PsyD program supports for students with ADHD/LD from a faculty advisor perspective. Specifically, this research assesses the faculty advisor-advisee relationship, as well as available support services and resources. Data was collected from an anonymous survey and utilized an empirical mixed-methods approach. Three themes emerged from the study: (1) Advisors lack …

Early Risk Factors For School-Age Adhd And Irritability: The Roles Of Prenatal Risk, Intrusive Parenting Style During Preschool And Caregiver-Child Attachment Quality., Ashley M. Rainford

Dissertations and Theses

ADHD is a highly impairing neurodevelopmental disorder and the family context provides a critical early environment where children’s risk for the disorder may be heightened or reduced. A parent’s style, that is their approach to interacting and guiding the child may provide children with warmth and security, or elicit fear, distrust and disappointment, both of which in turn impact behavior. However, the parent-child relationship is not unidirectional; it is dynamic. Children with high ADHD-like behaviors have greater difficulty relating to and interacting with their caregivers, while caregivers become increasingly stressed and show greater hostility and less warmth in their parenting. …

Social Cognition, Impulsivity, And Emotion Regulation Factors In Aggressive Behavior Among Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder., Kelly E. Slaughter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) exhibit greater levels of aggressive behavior than their typically developing peers, often resulting in impairment in social and family functioning. Aggressive behavior is often differentiated into two functions: reactive, or “hot-blooded” and proactive, or “cold-blooded” aggression. Prior research has identified several factors contributing to aggressive behavior within a general population, including emotion dysregulation, negative urgency, social information processing (SIP), and parenting behaviors. A paucity of research has examined these factors within an ADHD population. Thus, the present study aimed to examine social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive factors associated with aggression among children with ADHD. Specifically, …

The Utility Of The Test Of Everyday Attention For Children (Tea-Ch) For Attention-Related Referrals, Ewelina Lakomy

Dissertations

The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch) is a commonly used, UK-normed test to assess diverse attentional capacities in children and adolescents. Currently, there is insufficient evidence for the diagnostic utility of the TEA-Ch with ADHD in a U.S. population. The focus in this study was to investigate the relationship between the TEA-Ch scores test authors found to be most sensitive to ADHD in UK samples as well as the relationship of TEA-Ch scores to other measures typically used in the diagnosis of ADHD, including rating scales. Archival and prospective analyses of 121 subjects with mixed-clinical/ADHD diagnoses (ages 6–16; …

Understanding And Improving Adhd Symptom Recall: An Investigation Of Temperament And Childhood Symptom Recall Over Time, Lea Elizabeth Taylor

Dissertations - ALL

Background: ADHD is characterized by a high prevalence, functional impairment across the lifespan, negative long-term consequences, and a heterogeneous etiology, rendering it of significant public health import. Despite this, there is still a significant delay to treatment as well as low rate of lifetime treatment contact in the ADHD population, which may potentially increase the associated personal and public health burdens. Due to this delay to treatment and requirement of symptom onset before the age of 12, adults seeking ADHD assessments provide a challenge to clinicians to determine if symptoms were present in childhood. The current study investigated the consistency …

Altered Network Organization And Screen Time Use In Childhood Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Elizabeth Jane Hawkey

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been associated with alterations in functional connectivity involving networks in the developing brain that support optimal cognitive control. However, a clear profile of altered connectivity has yet to emerge, and it remains unclear whether changes in behavioral patterns such as screen time (ST) contribute to ADHD symptomatology and altered connectivity in networks that support cognitive control. The current study examined connectivity between large-scale networks associated with cognitive control (CC), measures of executive function (EF) which index CC, and ST in children with ADHD. Methods: Our sample included 11,874 children (ages 9-11, 52% male) …

Medication Versus Brain-Based Treatment: Evaluation Treatment Preferences Of Parents Of Children With Adhd, Rebecca Recio-Swift

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders across the world. Currently, treatment for ADHD mostly consists of either medication or behavioral therapy or a combination of both. However, research has shown that medication used as therapy for the treatment of ADHD has side effects which parents deem undesirable for their children. Therefore, recent research has focused on patient and parent preferences. Studies have found that behavioral or other treatment options may often be chosen over medications. These same studies have documented the characteristics of parents that prefer certain treatments for their children. The purpose of this …

The Relation Of Therapist Behaviors To Treatment Engagement And Outcomes In Pcit, Kristine Gese Ba

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has proven to be a very effective treatment for child behavioral problems, however, PCIT does not benefit all families equally, presumably at least partly because therapists may not be equally effective in coaching their clients. Although researchers have proposed several dimensions of therapist coaching behaviors that are considered desirable, few of these have been empirically examined in relation to family engagement or child outcomes. Data from two clinical trials examining the effectiveness of culturally modified versions of PCIT (GANA and PersIn), were used to investigate which of several therapist coaching behaviors (brevity, positivity, consistency, accuracy, …

Controlled Evaluation Of A Family-Based Optimization Intervention Implemented Through Video-Conferencing To Address Adhd And Oppositional Defiant Disorder In An Adolescent Athlete, Dereck Davy Phrathep

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adolescent athletes with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) experience unique challenges that impact their sport performance, such as making errors due to poor concentration and adverse relationships with referees due to poor anger management. Pharmacological treatments have shown to be successful in treating ADHD comorbid with ODD. However, there are negative consequences for pharmacological treatments for adolescent athletes (e.g., banned by sports organizations). Well-established behavioral interventions for ADHD and ODD in non-athlete populations have included family-based, cognitive-behavioral approaches. However, none of these interventions have been evaluated in competitive adolescent athletes. The current case trial involved …

Observation And Detection Of Adhd Malingering In College Students, Zoe Tenner

Honors Theses

The rate of college students attempting to obtain Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses in order to gain access to prescription stimulant medications has shown a large increase over the past 20 years. Research has also shown that college students are frequently able to convincingly present themselves as meeting clinical criteria for ADHD with relative ease, meaning that the barrier to false presentation for the purpose of obtaining inappropriately prescribed medication is minimal. There is a need for more concise, accurate tools to detect these efforts in clinical settings, which is an area of research pursued by members of the University of …

Adhd Performance On Nonverbal Measures Of Set Shifting And Working Memory, S. Hans Stoltzfus

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The relationship between language and cognition is an area of inquiry among many psychologists (Pellicano, 2010; Russel, 1996). The connection between thoughts, verbal language, and nonverbal communication turned researchers towards the relationship between language and executive functioning. Executive functioning (EF) is described as tasks involving working memory, inhibition, and set shifting (Miyake and Friedman (2012)). Despite studies demonstrating the correlation between language deficits and lower executive functioning there is not consensus on the directionality of the relationship (Kuhn, et al 2014; Boting et al., 2017). Data from the Leiter International Performance Scale, Third Edition (Leiter-3) (Roid, et al., 2013) were …

The Developmental Course Of Adhd In The Preschool Classroom: Toward A Prevention Treatment Framework, Caroline Martin

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the developmental trajectories of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom levels during preschool among a majority Head Start sample of 261 three- to five-year-old children (87% Head Start; 59% Caucasian; 53% boys; Mage = 3.97 years). Teacher ratings of ADHD symptom levels across four time points within the academic year demonstrated, on average, a course of increasing inattention that decelerated over time and a course of steadily increasing hyperactivity/impulsivity. When accounting for the clustering of children within classrooms, both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity showed an average increasing trajectory over the year with no deceleration. Group-based …

Language Problems And Adhd Behaviors: Associations With School Readiness In An At-Risk Preschool Sample, Marissa Dennis

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the unique and interactive effects of preschoolers’ receptive language ability and ADHD behavior levels on social-emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and mathematics school readiness, over and above the effects of socioeconomic status (SES). At the start of the preschool year, 49 predominantly low-SES preschool children completed a receptive language task and teachers rated their ADHD behavior levels. School readiness data were collected approximately three months after the start of the school year. First, hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for covariates and the non-focal predictor (i.e., ADHD behaviors or receptive language ability), higher levels of receptive …

Toward An Understanding Of Treatment Moderators Based On Etiological Models Of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Tess E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Extant research suggests negative outcomes associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) can be avoided with early intervention, with the most efficacious being behavioral parent training. However, parent training suffers from limitations including high drop-out rates, adherence, and long-term maintenance. Yet, consistent predictors of differential outcomes among individuals have not been identified. Etiological work suggests traits may be an early marker of disruptive behaviors. The goal of the current study is to examine child traits as a moderator of treatment outcomes for ADHD and ODD, using an efficacious short parent training treatment, Brief Behavioral Intervention (BBI). Twenty-six …

Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement Of Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Marie Myrlene Dupont-Krommie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have persistently encountered academic difficulties resulting from their struggles to cope with educational standard rules hindering their academic achievement. Parental involvement significantly provides an optimistic effect on students' academic achievement; however, there is sparse literature that focuses on the effect of parental involvement on the academic achievement of children with ADHD. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the involvement of parents of children diagnosed with ADHD through their academic life, explore those parents' perceptions of themselves as contributors in their children's academic lives, report their views as influential participants in …

Incorporating Psychological Trauma Into Adhd Differentials: A Pilot Study Of Primary Care Providers' Perspectives, Amber Nipper

PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Dissertations ( Seattle)

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP, n.d.), 40% to 50% of individuals seeking mental health services terminate prematurely due to lack of access, lack of transportation, financial constraints, child mental health professional shortages, and stigma related to mental health. These barriers contribute to primary care providers assessing and managing mental health concerns at increasing rates, particularly symptoms consistent with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a neurobiological disorder beginning in childhood that is defined as “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development” (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013, p. 59). Current literature shows …