This study investigated the relationship(s) between deficits of executive functioning ability and mindfulness as measured by Barkley's Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) respectively. ADHD is a disorder affecting millions of individuals, including children. Currently it is the most diagnosed of all childhood psychological disorders with about half of those diagnosed continuing to experience symptoms into adulthood (CDC, 2010). The psychological construct of ADHD has been redefined recently by Barkley, opening the door for new conceptualization and treatment options (Barkley 2012). ADHD has been described as being synonymous with deficits in EF (Barkley, 2012). The current study's purpose was to evaluate the relationship(s) that exist between deficits of EF and mindfulness as evaluated by two prominent measures. Findings of the current study suggest mindfulness is related to EF ability, regardless of ADHD status. Mindfulness, as measured by higher scores on the FFMQ, appears to predict fewer EF deficits, and lower total scores on the BDEFS. The current study also examined if gender or ADHD status might influence the relationship between ADHD and mindfulness and concluded that they do not. Finally, the study also evaluated if the FFMQ could predict ADHD status as accurately as the BDEFS. The research findings indicate that both measures are significant predictors of ADHD, with the BDEFS being slightly higher (77% compared to 66%). This study supports the notion that mindfulness training might represent a viable treatment option for those with ADHD. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2014. / May 9, 2014. / ADHD, Bdefs, Executive Functioning, Ffmq, Meditation, Mindfulness / Includes bibliographical references. / Frances Prevatt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sandra Lewis, University Representative; Angela Canto, Committee Member; Shengli Dong, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_254425 |
| Contributors | Flagg, Scott Andrew (authoraut), Prevatt, Frances (professor directing dissertation), Lewis, Sandra (university representative), Canto, Angela (committee member), Dong, Shengli (committee member), Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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