The present study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with regard to romantic involvement, partner identity, relationship content, and relationship quality. A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13-18, completed a standardized battery of questionnaires. Adolescents with ADHD reported having more romantic partners than their typically developing (TD) peers. Females with ADHD were found to have shorter romantic relationships than TD adolescents while males with ADHD reported their age of first intercourse to be nearly two years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. When choosing a romantic partner, adolescents with ADHD placed less importance on aspects of their partner’s academic and social competence than TD adolescents. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression and relationship quality.

The present study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with regard to romantic involvement, partner identity, relationship content, and relationship quality. A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13-18, completed a standardized battery of questionnaires. Adolescents with ADHD reported having more romantic partners than their typically developing (TD) peers. Females with ADHD were found to have shorter romantic relationships than TD adolescents while males with ADHD reported their age of first intercourse to be nearly two years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. When choosing a romantic partner, adolescents with ADHD placed less importance on aspects of their partner’s academic and social competence than TD adolescents. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression and relationship quality.

The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) initiative in England and Wales, underway since 2000, provides specialized care to high risk personality disordered individuals in prison and secure psychiatric facilities. Entry to the service, for a capacity nationwide total of approximately 300 individuals at four sites, is determined in part by risk (whether or not the individual is more likely than not to commit an offence that might be expected to lead to serious physical or psychological harm from which the victim would find it hard to recover). This requires valid procedures for assessing risk to determine individuals’ suitability for entry into and transfer out of the service. Yet little is known about the validity of current risk assessment tools and personality measures with the DSPD population. One of the studies reported, the first of its kind with the DSPD population, described a prospective evaluation of the predictive accuracy of the HCR-20, VRS, Static-99, and Risk Matrix 2000 with 44 admissions to the DSPD unit at a high security forensic psychiatric hospital. Consistent with hypotheses, all tools predicted damage to property. HCR-20 Total and scale scores predicted interpersonal physical aggression with structured final risk judgments also predicting repetitive (2+ incidents of) interpersonal physical aggression. HCR-20 Risk Management scores were significantly associated with imminence of interpersonal physical aggression. The second study described a prospective evaluation of the predictive accuracy of Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Factor and Facet scores as well as scores for Cluster B traits using the International Personality Disorder Examination with the same sample. Partial support for hypotheses was found. Only Borderline PD dimension scores predicted damage to property. Histrionic PD predicted interpersonal physical aggression, and Histrionic, Borderline, and Antisocial PDs all predicted repetitive interpersonal physical aggression. Factor 1 and Facets 1 and 2 were also significant predictors of interpersonal physical aggression. Factor 1 and Histrionic PD scores were also significantly associated with imminence of this type of aggression. Results were discussed in terms of the practical utility of these tools with high risk forensic psychiatric inpatients and the functional link (between personality disorder and violence) criterion for DSPD service entry.

Research in developmental psychopathology has advanced our understanding of emotional dysregulation underlying children’s behavioural problems and their association with maternal depression. Neurophysiological measures may further clarify these relations. The ERN (error-related negativity) is an event-related potential commonly used to assess self-monitoring, with large amplitudes reflecting internalizing and small amplitudes reflecting externalizing symptoms. The present study investigated the effect of ERN amplitude on the relation between maternal depression and internalizing and externalizing problems in a sample of children referred for aggressive behaviour. ERN amplitudes were recorded while 50 children (8-10 years of age) engaged in a go/no-go emotion induction task. Results indicated an association between high ERN amplitudes and internalizing behaviour and between small ERN amplitudes and externalizing behaviours for children with depressed mothers. These findings suggest that the degree of self-monitoring (indexed by ERN amplitude) moderates the relation between maternal depression and psychopathological outcomes in children.

Previous research has explored the impact on individuals following hate crime victimization, including prevalence estimates in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual (LGBT) community. Past research, however, has been limited in its scope when exploring the impact of the hate crime event on the overall mental health of the survivor often examining only one measure of functioning. The current project aims to fill this gap by analyzing measures of posttraumatic symptoms, depression, stress and dissociation, collected on a sample of 30 LGBT individuals who have experienced hate crime victimization. In addition to clinical features, this study also analysed identity, openness about LGBT identity and coping behaviours. Results indicated that social support, identity and coping impact recovery from hate crime victimization. The effect of these factors differed over time (within one month of the hate crime) and up to as much as five years later (within the month of the interview).

Research in developmental psychopathology has advanced our understanding of emotional dysregulation underlying children’s behavioural problems and their association with maternal depression. Neurophysiological measures may further clarify these relations. The ERN (error-related negativity) is an event-related potential commonly used to assess self-monitoring, with large amplitudes reflecting internalizing and small amplitudes reflecting externalizing symptoms. The present study investigated the effect of ERN amplitude on the relation between maternal depression and internalizing and externalizing problems in a sample of children referred for aggressive behaviour. ERN amplitudes were recorded while 50 children (8-10 years of age) engaged in a go/no-go emotion induction task. Results indicated an association between high ERN amplitudes and internalizing behaviour and between small ERN amplitudes and externalizing behaviours for children with depressed mothers. These findings suggest that the degree of self-monitoring (indexed by ERN amplitude) moderates the relation between maternal depression and psychopathological outcomes in children.

Previous research has explored the impact on individuals following hate crime victimization, including prevalence estimates in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual (LGBT) community. Past research, however, has been limited in its scope when exploring the impact of the hate crime event on the overall mental health of the survivor often examining only one measure of functioning. The current project aims to fill this gap by analyzing measures of posttraumatic symptoms, depression, stress and dissociation, collected on a sample of 30 LGBT individuals who have experienced hate crime victimization. In addition to clinical features, this study also analysed identity, openness about LGBT identity and coping behaviours. Results indicated that social support, identity and coping impact recovery from hate crime victimization. The effect of these factors differed over time (within one month of the hate crime) and up to as much as five years later (within the month of the interview).

Seven boys between the ages of 7 and 12 with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), some also with Specific Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or elevated aggression scales on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), were involved in this study of the effectiveness of EEG Biofeedback for the remediation of ADHD. A multiple-baseline design with an embedded ABAB component was used to compare baseline, 12-15 Hz Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) EEG Biofeedback (“active”) and single-blind sham feedback (“placebo”) conditions. Seven dependent variables including the ADHD Rating Scale, Child Attention Profile, Children's Checking Task, Controlled Oral Word Fluency Test, paired associate learning and continuous performance tasks were combined as z-scores into a single composite repeated measure. Visual and multiple baseline analyses were inconclusive. The primary analysis was by randomisation test with statistical control for overall trend. Randomisation test results were combined across five subjects (two subjects having failed to complete the study) using techniques for combining independent probabilities; for the combined group the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.02) with the active conditions displaying the more improved scores. An examination of effect sizes by subject and condition showed that the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.05, based on the confidence intervals for effect estimates) with a large effect size if trend was ignored and the two “drop-outs” were excluded but non-significant with a small effect size if overall trend was controlled, and the two drop-outs included. Effect sizes calculated pre-post were medium on average, and Reliable Change Indices for CBCL parent rated attention were significant for five subjects (p < 0.001). There was no improvement in academic performance as assessed by pre-post Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised. There was no significant effect of condition on EEG Theta/SMR ratio, although there were some significant correlations with individual dependent variables. Four of six children continued to improve on the composite score from the end of the study to six-month follow-up. Results were discussed in light of non-specific treatment effects such as tacit behavioural training, Fried's respiration hypothesis, the cognitive energetic model of attention and confounds due to trend and subject mortality. It was concluded that EEG biofeedback appears to have beneficial effects on ADHD symptoms but these are due largely to non-specific treatment factors and confounds such as regression to the mean. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the parent-child relationships and peer functioning of community-identified, 4-year-old boys with hyperactive behaviour problems. The sample consisted of 33 pervasively hyperactive boys and 34 control children. Parenting and child behaviours, and family life factors were assessed at home using a range of measures including the Parental Account of Children's Symptoms Interview (PACS), the Parenting Scale, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and the Life Events Questionnaire. In addition, maternal directiveness and synchrony were coded from videotaped parent-child interaction during free play. Children's peer relations were assessed with teacher ratings on the Child Behavior Scale (CBS) and observer ratings of peer interactions at kindergarten. Results showed that parents of hyperactive boys used less effective parenting skills in disciplinary situations and in coping with child behaviour problems, and spent less time in positive parent-child interaction than comparison group parents. Mothers of hyperactive boys also engaged in fewer synchronous play interactions with their sons and gave more negative ratings on indices of life stress. Poor parent coping, father-child communication, maternal synchrony, negative disciplinary practices, and life stress were significantly associated with hyperactivity after adjusting for the effects of conduct problems. The best parenting predictor of hyperactivity was maternal coping. Compared with control children, the hyperactive boys received significantly higher ratings on exclusion by peers, aggressive, noncompliant, and non-social behaviours, as well as significantly lower ratings of prosocial behaviour and peer acceptance. These between-group differences in social functioning remained significant after statistical control for the effects of conduct problems. Further analysis suggested that the associations between hyperactivity and child social behaviours were partly or wholly explained by group differences in exposure to parenting behaviours that are important for children's social development. These findings highlight the need to examine more closely the role of parenting behaviours in shaping the course, prognosis and treatment outcomes in relation to the behavioural and social adjustment of preschool hyperactive children. The implications of these findings for early childhood intervention in hyperactive behaviour problems are discussed. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

Seven boys between the ages of 7 and 12 with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), some also with Specific Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or elevated aggression scales on the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), were involved in this study of the effectiveness of EEG Biofeedback for the remediation of ADHD. A multiple-baseline design with an embedded ABAB component was used to compare baseline, 12-15 Hz Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) EEG Biofeedback (“active”) and single-blind sham feedback (“placebo”) conditions. Seven dependent variables including the ADHD Rating Scale, Child Attention Profile, Children's Checking Task, Controlled Oral Word Fluency Test, paired associate learning and continuous performance tasks were combined as z-scores into a single composite repeated measure. Visual and multiple baseline analyses were inconclusive. The primary analysis was by randomisation test with statistical control for overall trend. Randomisation test results were combined across five subjects (two subjects having failed to complete the study) using techniques for combining independent probabilities; for the combined group the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.02) with the active conditions displaying the more improved scores. An examination of effect sizes by subject and condition showed that the placebo vs. active contrast was significant (p < 0.05, based on the confidence intervals for effect estimates) with a large effect size if trend was ignored and the two “drop-outs” were excluded but non-significant with a small effect size if overall trend was controlled, and the two drop-outs included. Effect sizes calculated pre-post were medium on average, and Reliable Change Indices for CBCL parent rated attention were significant for five subjects (p < 0.001). There was no improvement in academic performance as assessed by pre-post Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised. There was no significant effect of condition on EEG Theta/SMR ratio, although there were some significant correlations with individual dependent variables. Four of six children continued to improve on the composite score from the end of the study to six-month follow-up. Results were discussed in light of non-specific treatment effects such as tacit behavioural training, Fried's respiration hypothesis, the cognitive energetic model of attention and confounds due to trend and subject mortality. It was concluded that EEG biofeedback appears to have beneficial effects on ADHD symptoms but these are due largely to non-specific treatment factors and confounds such as regression to the mean. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.