102 research outputs found
Child and Parent Predictors of Perceptions of Parent–Child Relationship Quality
Objective/Method:
Predictors of perceptions of parent–child relationship quality were examined for 175 children with
ADHD, 119 comparison children, and parents of these children, drawn from the follow-up phase of the
Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD.
Results/Conclusion:
Children with ADHD perceived their mothers and fathers as more power assertive than comparison
children. Children higher on depressive symptomatology also perceived their mothers and fathers as less
warm and more power assertive. Mothers perceived themselves as more power assertive and fathers
perceived themselves as less warm if they were higher on depressive symptomatology themselves or had
children with ADHD or higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Several interactions indicated that the
association between child factors and parental perceptions of warmth and power assertion often depended on
parental depressive symptomatology. The findings resolve a previous contradiction in the literature regarding
the relationship between child depressive symptoms and parental perceptions of parent–child relationship
quality
A pilot study of atomoxetine in young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of atomoxetine during acute treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in 5 and 6 year olds.
METHOD: Twenty two children (male n = 19, 86%) with ADHD were treated with atomoxetine for 8 weeks in a three-site, open-label pilot study. Dosing was flexible, with titration to a maximum of 1.8 mg/kg per day. Parent education on behavior management was provided as part of each pharmacotherapy visit.
RESULTS: Subjects demonstrated a mean decrease of 20.68 points (SD = 12.80, p \u3c 0.001)) on the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-IV-RS) total score, 10.18 (SD = 7.48, p \u3c 0.001) on the inattentive subscale and 10.50 (SD = 7.04, p \u3c 0.001) on the hyperactive/impulsive subscale. Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) was improved in 82% of the children (95% CI, 66-98%) and Children\u27s Global Assessment (CGAS) scores improved 18.91 points on average (SD = 12.20, p \u3c 0.001). The mean final dose of atomoxetine was 1.25 mg/kg per day (SD = 0.35 mg/kg per day). Mood lability was the most commonly reported adverse event (n = 12, 54.5%). Eleven subjects (50%) reported decreased appetite and a mean weight loss of 1.04 kg (SD = 0.80 kg) (p \u3c 0.001) was observed for the group. Vital sign changes were mild and not clinically significant. There were no discontinuations due to adverse events or lack of efficacy.
CONCLUSION: Atomoxetine was generally effective for reducing core ADHD symptoms in the 5 and 6 year olds in this open-label study
Response to Methylphenidate in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Manic Symptoms in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Titration Trial
Objective:
Recent reports raise concern that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and
some manic symptoms may worsen with stimulant treatment. This study examines the response to
methylphenidate in such children.
Methods:
Data from children participating in the 1-month methylphenidate titration trial of the Multimodal
Treatment Study of Children with ADHD were reanalyzed by dividing the sample into children with and
without some manic symptoms. Two “mania proxies” were constructed using items from the Diagnostic
Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) or the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Treatment response and
side effects are compared between participants with and without proxies.
Results:
Thirty-two (11%) and 29 (10%) participants fulfilled criteria for the CBCL mania proxy and DISC
mania proxy, respectively. Presence or absence of either proxy did not predict a greater or lesser response or
side effects.
Conclusion:
Findings suggest that children with ADHD and manic symptoms respond robustly to
methylphenidate during the first month of treatment and that these children are not more likely to have an
adverse response to methylphenidate. Further research is needed to explore how such children will respond
during long-term treatment. Clinicians should not a priori avoid stimulants in children with ADHD and some
manic symptoms
Evidence, Interpretation, and Qualification From Multiple Reports of Long- Term Outcomes in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With ADHD (MTA) Part II: Supporting Details
Objective:
To review and provide details about the primary and secondary findings from the Multimodal
Treatment study of ADHD (MTA) published during the past decade as three sets of articles.
Method:
In the second of a two part article, we provide additional background and detail required by the
complexity of the MTA to address confusion and controversy about the findings outlined in part I (the
Executive Summary).
Results:
We present details about the gold standard used to produce scientific evidence, the randomized
clinical trial (RCT), which we applied to evaluate the long-term effects of two well-established unimodal
treatments, Medication Management (MedMGT) and behavior therapy (Beh), the multimodal combination
(Comb), and treatment “as usual” in the community (CC). For each of the first three assessment points
defined by RCT methods and included in intent-to-treat analyses, we discuss our definition of evidence
from the MTA, interpretation of the serial presentations of findings at each assessment point with a
different definition of long-term varying from weeks to years, and qualification of the interim conclusions
about long-term effects of treatments for ADHD based on many exploratory analyses described in
additional published articles.
Conclusions:
Using a question and answer format, we discuss the possible clinical relevance of the MTA and
present some practical suggestions based on current knowledge and uncertainties facing families,
clinicians, and investigators regarding the long-term use of stimulant medication and behavioral therapy in
the treatment of children with ADHD. (J. of Att. Dis. 2008; 12(1) 15-43
Acute atomoxetine treatment of younger and older children with ADHD: A meta-analysis of tolerability and efficacy
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atomoxetine is FDA-approved as a treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients aged 6 years to adult. Among pediatric clinical trials of atomoxetine to date, six with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design were used in this meta-analysis. The purpose of this article is to describe and compare the treatment response and tolerability of atomoxetine between younger children (6–7 years) and older children (8–12 years) with ADHD, as reported in these six acute treatment trials.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from six clinical trials of 6–9 weeks duration were pooled, yielding 280 subjects, ages 6–7 years, and 860 subjects, ages 8–12 years with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)-diagnosed ADHD. Efficacy was analyzed using the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS), Conners' Parent Rating Scale-revised (CPRS-R:S), and the Clinical Global Impression of ADHD Severity (CGI-ADHD-S).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Atomoxetine was superior to placebo in both age categories for mean (SD) change in ADHD-RS total, total T, and subscale scores; 3 CPRS-R:S subscales; and CGI-ADHD-S from baseline. Although there were no significant treatment differentials between the age groups for these efficacy measures, the age groups themselves, regardless of treatment, were significantly different for ADHD-RS total (younger: ATX = -14.2 [13.8], PBO = -4.6 [10.4]; older: ATX = -15.4 [13.2], PBO = -7.3 [12.0]; p = .001), total T (younger: ATX = -15.2 [14.8], PBO = -4.9 [11.2]; older: ATX = -16.4 [14.6], PBO = -7.9 [13.1]; p = .003), and subscale scores (Inattentive: younger: ATX = -7.2 [7.5], PBO = -2.4 [5.7]; older: ATX = -8.0 [7.4], PBO = -3.9 [6.7]; p = .043; Hyperactive/Impulsive: younger: ATX = -7.0 [7.2], PBO = -2.1 [5.4]; older: ATX = -7.3 [7.0], PBO = -3.4 [6.3]; p < .001), as well as the CGI-ADHD-S score (younger: ATX = -1.2 [1.3], PBO = -0.5 [0.9]; older: ATX = -1.4 [1.3], PBO = -0.7 [1.1]; p = .010). Although few subjects discontinued from either age group due to adverse events, a significant treatment-by-age-group interaction was observed for abdominal pain (younger: ATX = 19%, PBO = 6%; older: ATX = 15%, PBO = 13%; p = .044), vomiting (younger: ATX = 14%, PBO = 2%; older: ATX = 9%, PBO = 6%; p = .053), cough (younger: ATX = 10%, PBO = 6%; older: ATX = 3%, PBO = 9%; p = .007), and pyrexia (younger: ATX = 5%, PBO = 2%; older: ATX = 3%, PBO = 5%; p = .058).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Atomoxetine is an effective and generally well-tolerated treatment of ADHD in both younger and older children as assessed by three recognized measures of symptoms in six controlled clinical trials.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Not Applicable.</p
Peer-Assessed Outcomes in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Peer-assessed outcomes were examined at the end of treatment (14 months after study entry) for 285
children (226 boys, 59 girls) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who were rated by their
classmates (2,232 classmates total) using peer sociometric procedures. All children with ADHD were
participants in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA). Treatment groups were
compared using the orthogonal treatment contrasts that accounted for the largest amount of variance in
prior MTA outcome analyses: Medication Management + Combined Treatment versus Behavior Therapy +
Community Care; Medication Management versus Combined Treatment; Behavior Therapy versus
Community Care. There was little evidence of superiority of any of the treatments for the peer-assessed
outcomes studied, although the limited evidence that emerged favored treatments involving medication
management. Post hoc analyses were used to examine whether any of the four treatment groups yielded
normalized peer relationships relative to randomly selected- classmates. Results indicated that children
from all groups remained significantly impaired in their peer relationships
Morphological Abnormalities of the Thalamus in Youths With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
The role of the thalamus in the genesis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains poorly understood. The authors used anatomical MRI to examine the morphology of the thalamus in youths with ADHD and healthy comparison youths
Depressive Symptoms and Clinical Status During the Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters (TASA) Study
Off-label psychopharmacologic prescribing for children: History supports close clinical monitoring
The review presents pediatric adverse drug events from a historical perspective and focuses on selected safety issues associated with off-label use of medications for the psychiatric treatment of youth. Clinical monitoring procedures for major psychotropic drug classes are reviewed. Prior studies suggest that systematic treatment monitoring is warranted so as to both minimize risk of unexpected adverse events and exposures to ineffective treatments. Clinical trials to establish the efficacy and safety of drugs currently being used off-label in the pediatric population are needed. In the meantime, clinicians should consider the existing evidence-base for these drugs and institute close clinical monitoring
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