The Role Of Maternal Attributions In Treatment Outcomes For Children With Adhd

The goal of the present study was to examine the role that maternal attributions play in predicting treatment outcomes for families of children with ADHD. Specifically, we examined if maternal attributions at the beginning of a psychosocial intervention predicted successful completion of treatment, as well as statistically significant and reliable change in maternal functioning following treatment. Participants included 41 families seeking services for their child from a university-based ADHD clinic; 31 of whom completed treatment. A series of written vignettes were used to assess four domains of causal attributions (i.e., locus of control, global/stable, intentional, controllable). In general, analyses indicated that maternal attributions for negative child behaviors did not significantly predict treatment completion, nor did they predict statistically significant improvements in maternal functioning or reliable change in maternal parenting stress following treatment. There are several potential explanations for these null findings, including the type of cognitions examined, the lack of variability in maternal attributions, characteristics of the sample, and sample size. Although the current findings do not provide support for the influence of maternal attributions, future work with a larger sample would allow for the relation between attributions and treatment outcomes to be further assessed to determine if targeting parental cognitions in standard behavioral parent training is needed

Examination of a Parent-Assisted, Friendship-Building Program for Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: Youth with ADHD experience significant impairment in peer functioning. Based on recommendations from the literature, the current pilot study examined the effectiveness of a parent-assisted, friendship-building program at establishing mutual friendships and improving peer relationships in adolescents with ADHD. Method: Participants included 20 adolescents with ADHD (ages 11-16 years) and their parent(s). Families completed the Program for the Evaluation and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS). Measures of friendship quality, social knowledge, social self-efficacy, get-togethers, and peer conflict were completed at baseline and post-treatment. At post-treatment, participants also reported on the initiation of a new friendship. Results: Baseline to post-treatment differences were examined using paired-samples t tests. The majority of participants reported the initiation of a new friendship at post-treatment. Adolescents also demonstrated significantly improved social knowledge and increased get-togethers. Effect sizes were large. Conclusion: Following participation in PEERS, adolescents improved in several peer functioning domains and many initiated new friendships

Maternal Functioning Differences Based on ADHD Subtype

Objective: Maternal functioning differences in parenting stress, parental efficacy, and parenting behaviors were examined for mothers of children with ADHD. Method: Participants included 29 mothers of children with ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type (ADHD-I) and 38 mothers of children with ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive or Combined Type (ADHD-HI/C). Results: Findings suggest that mothers of children with ADHD-HI/C reported significantly greater parenting stress and engaged in more negative parenting behaviors than mothers of children with ADHD-I. Conclusion: This study suggests that tailoring behavioral parent training based on ADHD subtype may be particularly helpful for parents of children with ADHD-HI/C

Catastrophe Models for Cognitive Workload and Fatigue in a Vigilance Dual Task

Objective: This study investigated two cusp catastrophe models for cognitive workload and fatigue for a vigilance dual task, the role of emotional intelligence and frustration in the performance dynamics, and the dynamics for individuals and teams of two participants. Background: The effects of workload, fatigue, practice, and time on a specific task can be separated with the two models and an appropriate experimental design. Group dynamics add further complications to the understanding of workload and fatigue effects for teams. Method: In this experiment, 141 undergraduates responded to target stimuli that appeared on a simulated security camera display at three rates of speed while completing a jigsaw puzzle. Participants worked alone or in pairs and completed additional measurements prior to or after the main tasks. Results: The workload cusp verified the expected effects of speed and frustration on change in performance. The fatigue cusp showed that positive and negative changes in performance were greater if more work on the secondary task was completed and whether the participants who started with the fast vigilance condition demonstrated less fatigue. Conclusion: The results supported the efficacy of the cusp models and suggested, furthermore, that training modules that varied speed of presentation could buffer the effects of fatigue. Application: The cusp models can be used to analyze virtually any cognitively demanding task set. The particular results generalize to vigilance tasks, although a wider range of conditions within vigilance tasks needs to be investigated further