Friendship Quality in Adolescents With ADHD.

Objective: This study compared the quality of friendships (same- and other-sex) in adolescents with and without ADHD, across age and gender. Method: A community sample of 115 participants (61 ADHD, 54 Comparison), ages 13 to 18, completed a questionnaire assessing perceived levels of social support and negative interactions experienced in their friendships. Results: Ratings of friendship social support diminished across age in youth with ADHD, but increased in typically developing youth. Adolescents with and without ADHD, however, did not differ on ratings of negative interactions experienced in their friendships. Compared with males, females rated their friendships to be more supportive, irrespective of ADHD status. Adolescents with and without ADHD rated their same-sex friendships to be simultaneously more supportive and more conflictual than their other-sex friendships. Conclusion: Assessments of adolescents with ADHD should include a careful examination of their social functioning with particular attention devoted to the quality of their friendships.

The Romantic Relationships of Adolescents With ADHD.

OBJECTIVE: This study compared the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD with regard to romantic involvement, relationship content, and relationship quality. METHOD: A community sample of 58 participants (30 ADHD, 28 Comparison), ages 13 to 18, completed questionnaires assessing various features of romantic relationships. RESULTS: 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 2 years sooner than TD peers. Irrespective of gender, adolescents with ADHD had nearly double the number of lifetime sexual partners. However, the romantic relationships of adolescents with and without ADHD did not differ on levels of aggression or relationship quality. CONCLUSION: Given the outcomes associated with poor-quality romantic relationships, comprehensive assessments of adolescents with ADHD should include queries into their romantic relationships.

The Emotional Experience and Perceived Changes in Siblings of Children With Cancer Reported During a Group Intervention.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine the experiences and perceived changes in siblings of children with cancer while participating in a group intervention program. 
. RESEARCH APPROACH: Repeated observations during group participation and content analysis. 
. SETTING: A tertiary pediatric health center in Ontario, Canada.
. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two siblings (aged 7-18 years) of children with cancer. 
. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: Siblings participated in the Siblings Coping Together program, an eight-week group intervention designed for this population. Data consisted of materials completed by siblings (49 homework sheets, 33 pieces of artwork), and 31 logs recording events within group sessions. 
. FINDINGS: Three categories emerged from the data. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide rich insight into siblings' own views of changes in themselves and within the family, as well as the perceived benefits of group participation. 
. INTERPRETATION: Methodologically, this study demonstrated that the inclusion of visual materials as data is a valid methodology for future research. Clinically, these findings can help nurses in their daily care of children with cancer and their families.

Healthcare Professionals' Knowledge of Family Psychosocial Problems in Pediatric Cancer: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Best practice guidelines for the treatment of cancer now advocate for a child- and family-centered model of care and a psychosocial model of risk prevention. However, healthcare professionals (HCPs) report a number of barriers preventing the implementation of psychosocial care, including an absence of tools to help identify psychosocial problems within the family. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to (1) explore the psychometric properties of the Psychosocial Care Checklist (PCCL) and (2) test if the PCCL can differentiate the degree to which HCPs are aware of psychosocial problems within the family (patient, siblings, parents) of a child with cancer. METHODS: Thirty-seven HCPs caring for a child with cancer completed the PCCL at time 1 (2-4 weeks after diagnosis) and 29 HCPs completed the PCCL at time 2 (2-3 weeks after). RESULTS: The PCCL had strong test-retest reliability for all domains (α > .60) and strong internal consistency for the total PCCL (α = .91). Interrater reliability was moderate for the oncologist-nurse dyad with regard to sibling knowledge (r = 0.56) and total psychosocial knowledge (r = 0.65). Social workers were significantly more knowledgeable than both nurses and oncologists about total family problems (P = .01) and sibling problems (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings suggest that the PCCL has adequate test-retest reliability and validity and is useful in differentiating the degree to which HCPs are aware of psychosocial problems within the family, with social workers being the most knowledgeable. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Using the PCCL may help HCPs to identify psychosocial problems within the family and appropriately allocate psychosocial resources.

Neurophysiological differences in inhibitory control between adults with ADHD and their peers.

Inhibitory control allows individuals to suppress prepotent responses and resist irrelevant stimuli, and is thought to be a core deficit in Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Whereas numerous studies have investigated neural mechanisms underlying inhibitory control deficits in children with ADHD, less is known about underlying mechanisms in young adults with ADHD. This study explores the neural correlates of inhibitory control in college students with ADHD-a population that, despite comparatively high educational attainment, still shows marked functional impairments in academic, social, and occupational functioning. Participants were 54 college students with ADHD and 29 typically developing peers. Specifically the fronto-centrally located N2 and the centro-parietal P3 event-related potential (ERP) components were hypothesized to show decreased amplitudes for the ADHD group due to their known association with inhibitory control. Dense array electroencephalography (EEG) data was collected during a Go/nogo task. Results show lower accuracy rates for the ADHD group and significant reductions in P3 amplitude as well as a trend for reduced N2 amplitude in nogo trials where subjects successfully inhibited a response. Notably, nogo N2 and P3 amplitudes correlated with the number of ADHD symptoms: namely, smaller amplitudes were associated with more symptoms. We conclude that when compared to their typically developing peers, relatively high functioning adults with ADHD still show a deviant neural signature. These results contribute to the growing literature of adult ADHD and increase our understanding of the neural correlates of inhibitory control associated with ADHD.