Anne E. Dawson

Screening Amazon's Mechanical Turk for Adults With ADHD.

Objective: Researchers are increasingly using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk; www.mturk.com) to recruit study participants. However, the utility of MTurk for investigations of ADHD in adulthood is unknown. Method: A total of 6,526 MTurk workers (median age range = 26-35 years) completed an online screening survey assessing their diagnostic histories and symptoms of ADHD, as well as relevant demographic correlates and diagnostic comorbidity. Results: The prevalence of MTurk workers who reported being diagnosed as children and as adults, and the percentage of workers whose ADHD appeared to persist from childhood into adulthood, are consistent with those observed in “offline” samples. Relative to MTurk workers diagnosed with ADHD as adults, workers diagnosed with ADHD as children were more likely to be male and without college degrees, as well as less likely to have comorbid depression or anxiety disorders. Conclusion: Amazon’s MTurk holds promise as a recruitment tool for studying adults with ADHD.

ADHD Symptoms as Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization

Preliminary evidence underscores links between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimization. However, little is known about whether ADHD symptoms are uniquely associated with IPV perpetration and victimization beyond well-established risk factors of IPV commonly associated with the disorder. In a cross-sectional design, 433 college students rated their ADHD symptoms as well as frequencies of psychological and physical IPV perpetration and victimization. Additional risk factors of IPV included childhood maltreatment, primary psychopathy, alcohol abuse, and illicit drug use. Correlational analyses indicated that students with greater ADHD symptom severity reported higher rates of psychological and physical IPV perpetration, and higher rates of psychological IPV victimization. Regression analyses indicated that ADHD symptoms were not additive risk factors of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization. Students reporting any alcohol abuse or illicit drug use endorsed high rates of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization, regardless of their level of ADHD symptoms. However, students who reported no alcohol abuse or drug use, but did report greater ADHD symptom severity—particularly inattention, indicated higher rates of psychological IPV perpetration and victimization than those reporting no alcohol abuse or drug use and low ADHD symptoms. These findings extend prior research by indicating that alcohol abuse and illicit drug use moderate associations between ADHD symptoms and psychological IPV perpetration and victimization. Investigations are needed to identify mechanisms of the association between ADHD symptoms and IPV perpetration and victimization, particularly those abusing alcohol and drugs, for appropriate prevention and intervention efforts to be developed.

Adolescent insecure attachment as a predictor of maladaptive coping and externalizing behaviors in emerging adulthood

This study investigated whether insecure adolescent attachment organization (i.e., preoccupied and dismissing) longitudinally predicted self- and peer-reported externalizing behavior in emerging adulthood. Secondarily, maladaptive coping strategies were examined for their potential role in mediating the relationship between insecure attachment and future externalizing behaviors. Target participants (N = 184) were given the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) at age 14 and re-interviewed seven and eight years later with their closest peer. Qualities of both preoccupied and dismissing attachment organization predicted self-reported externalizing behaviors in emerging adulthood eight years later, but only preoccupation was predictive of close-peer reports of emerging adult externalizing behavior. Maladaptive coping strategies only mediated the relationship between a dismissing stance toward attachment and future self-reported externalizing behaviors. Understanding the role of coping and emotional regulation in attachment may help us to understand the unique aspects of both dismissing and preoccupied stances toward attachment.

Rates of Common Classroom Behavior Management Strategies and Their Associations With Challenging Student Behavior in Elementary School

In this study, we (a) describe patterns of challenging student behaviors (classwide and for a target student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) and teacher behaviors (i.e., praise, commands, and responses to challenging behavior) in kindergarten through Grade 5 classrooms, (b) examine the relations between these behaviors, and (c) describe a threshold of teacher behaviors most associated with low levels of challenging student behavior. Participants were 55 teachers observed using a modified version of the Student Behavior Teacher Response (SBTR) system. Across grades, there was variability in rates of classwide challenging behavior per hour (M = 35.81 to 102.62) and rates of praise per hour (M = 10.90 to 37.70). The percentage of challenging behaviors to which teachers responded appropriately was generally low (M = 27% to 47%) and stable across grades. For classwide challenging behavior, higher percentages of appropriate teacher response were significantly associated with lower rates of challenging behavior (b = −.43; p < .01), but effective commands and labeled praise were not. Classwide challenging behaviors dropped to 30 per hour once teachers reach a threshold of 51% appropriate response, with little incremental benefit at higher levels. Implications for professional development and future study of behavior management practices are discussed.

The Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Coping Strategies: The Indirect Effect Through Attachment

ABSTRACT Maladaptive coping strategies represent a potentially treatable component of psychopathologies associated with childhood abuse and neglect. Coping strategies are relatively stable constructs that may be viewed as trait-like behavioral manifestations of larger, albeit less accessible, intra- and interpersonal processes, such as activation of the attachment system. The authors investigated a potential mediational pathway from childhood maltreatment (in the form of physical and emotional abuse experiences) to coping strategies developed in emerging adulthood through attachment organization in a sample of undergraduate psychology research participants at a public Midwestern university (N = 225). Avoidant attachment patterns helped to explain the relationship between increased instances of childhood maltreatment and a decreased use of adaptive coping strategies. Further, both anxious and avoidant attachment mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and an increased use of maladaptive coping. By utilizing an attachment theory–informed approach as an explanatory guide, researchers and clinicians may be better able to conceptualize, study, and treat complex cases by understanding the underlying relationships between childhood maltreatment, attachment, and coping.

The Role of Parental ADHD in Sustaining the Effects of a Family-School Intervention for ADHD

This study investigated the extent to which parental Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms impact child and parent outcomes following a multimodal family–school intervention, the Family School Success (FSS) program, when compared to an active-control condition (CARE). Participants were 139 children with ADHD (67% male; 91% non-Hispanic; 77% Caucasian; Grades 2–6) and their primary caretaker (91% female; ages 26–59) who participated in a randomized clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of FSS. Associations were examined between parent-reported ADHD symptoms at baseline and intervention outcomes reported by parents and teachers after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up, including child homework and classroom impairments, child ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms, parenting behaviors, and parent–teacher relationship quality. Across both treatment conditions, parental ADHD was not associated with parent or child outcomes at postassessment. However, differences emerged between the two treatment groups at follow-up for parents with ADHD, particularly when an empirically supported symptom cutoff was used to identify parents at risk for having ADHD. In FSS, but not in CARE, parental ADHD was associated with declines in treatment gains in the quality of the parent–teacher relationship and the childs homework performance. Parents at risk for ADHD had difficulty maintaining treatment effects for themselves and their child in the FSS intervention but not in CARE. The supportive and educational components central to the CARE intervention may be helpful in promoting the sustainability of psychosocial interventions for children with ADHD who have parents with elevated ADHD symptoms.

Exploring rates of transgender individuals and mental health concerns in an online sample

ABSTRACT Background: Prevalence estimates of adults identifying as transgender are scarce, particularly in the United States. Method: The current study endeavored to estimate the prevalence of individuals identifying as transgender in a large online sample of adult U.S. residents (n = 6,727) and compare the prevalence of common mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and the age of onset for individuals identifying as men or women versus those identifying as transgender. Results: The prevalence estimate of individuals identifying as transgender was 0.8%. Individuals identifying as transgender were significantly more likely than individuals identifying as men or women to report having had a single diagnosis or co-occurring diagnoses for all three disorders examined. Additionally, transgender individuals were more likely than individuals identifying as men or women to receive a diagnosis of anxiety or depression at a younger age. Conclusion: Given the prevalence of transgender individuals and the associations with common mental health conditions, clinicians must be informed and competent to care for their clinical needs. This study introduces online crowdsourcing resources as a potentially fruitful option for reaching and researching gender diversity.

Rates of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration and Victimization Among Adults With ADHD.

Objective: Research has demonstrated an association between ADHD and intimate partner violence (IPV). However, it is unclear whether adults with ADHD persisting from childhood are especially at risk, and whether ADHD is a unique risk factor beyond well-established predictors of IPV. Method: Adults with (n = 95) and without childhood histories of ADHD (n = 121) who were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk reported their levels of IPV perpetration and victimization, and provided data on additional risk factors of IPV (e.g., childhood maltreatment, alcohol abuse). Results: While controlling for additional risk factors, adults diagnosed with ADHD as children, particularly those with elevated current ADHD symptoms (ADHD-Persist), reported higher rates of IPV perpetration and victimization than adults with ADHD histories but low current symptoms (ADHD-Desist) and adults who were never diagnosed with ADHD (control). Conclusion: Adults with ADHD histories and elevated current symptoms are most likely to report IPV perpetration and victimization.

Substance Use in Undergraduate Students With Histories of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): The Role of Impulsivity

ABSTRACT Background: Emerging adulthood (18–25 years old) is regarded as a time of identity exploration that includes a peak in risky behaviors, such as substance use and misuse. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is also associated with greater levels of risky behaviors, including substance use and misuse; however, there is a lack of research on substance use by emerging adults with ADHD, in particular the potential mechanisms that may facilitate this risk. Objectives: The present study builds on the existing research regarding the association between ADHD and substance use by examining roles of multiple facets of impulsivity in facilitating this association during emerging adulthood. Methods: In a sample of 197 undergraduate students (24 students with an ADHD diagnostic history), we assessed for components of impulsivity (e.g., urgency, sensation-seeking) and rates of alcohol abuse, tobacco use, cannabis use, illicit drug use, and stimulant medication misuse within the past year. Results: Findings indicate that facets of impulsivity, as a whole, explained the association between an ADHD diagnostic history and both illicit drug use and alcohol abuse such that students with ADHD histories tended to report higher levels of impulsivity, which increased risk of alcohol abuse and illicit drug use. Higher levels of specific facets of impulsivity, particularly negative urgency, also facilitated associations between having ADHD and engaging in most forms of substance use tested herein. Conclusions/Importance: Specific facets of impulsivity appear to be important mediators of the association between ADHD and substance use, and should be considered as potential targets of substance use interventions for this population.

Childhood Maltreatment, Emotional Lability, and Alcohol Problems in Young Adults At-Risk for ADHD: Testing Moderation and Moderated Moderation

ABSTRACT Childhood maltreatment and alcohol problems are common among young adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, little is known about the degree to which maltreatment and alcohol problems are associated; potential pertinent mediating or moderating mechanisms, such as emotional lability; and whether this association varies by sex. We examined, in a sample of adults at risk for ADHD (N = 122, 37% male), the association between childhood maltreatment and alcohol problems, whether emotional lability mediated or moderated this association, and whether either role of emotional lability differed between men and women. Emotional lability moderated the association between emotional neglect and alcohol problems; maltreatment increased risk for alcohol problems for those scoring high tovery high on emotional lability, but not for those with very low-moderate levels. The association between emotional abuse and alcohol problems depended both on emotional lability and sex; emotional abuse decreased the risk for alcohol problems among men very low/low on emotional lability, but not for men who were moderate to very high on emotional lability, or for women. These findings have implications for the way in which targeting maltreatment and emotional lability may be incorporated into prevention and intervention programs to prevent alcohol problems among men and women at risk for ADHD.