Identifier

etd-11112010-153958

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

Researchers consistently report both immediate and long-term benefits of establishing daily routines during childhood (e.g., increased physical health, medical treatment adherence, homework completion, and family communication). Increasing routines is also an essential component of evidence-based treatment programs for childhood externalizing problems (i.e., impulsivity, hyperactivity, and noncompliance). Research indicates that ADHD children respond particularly well to the regularity and predictability offered by daily routines. However, relatively few studies have examined the role that routines play on the adjustment and development of adolescents. In part, this is due to the lack of assessment tools available that specifically measure adolescent routines. The Adolescent Routines Questionnaire: Parent and Self-Report (ARQ:P/S) is the first measure designed to assess adolescent routines specifically, and initial studies evaluate the ARQ as psychometrically sound. The present study aimed to both replicate and extend preliminary research conducted on the ARQ and adolescent daily routines by demonstrating the clinical utility of the measure in a sample of ADHD vs. non-ADHD adolescents and their parents. Daily routines were examined across groups to compare rates of endorsement. Mean comparisons indicated ADHD adolescents and their parents endorsed significantly fewer daily routines, as well as significantly greater levels of parent-adolescent conflict, than a non-ADHD comparison group. Discriminant function analyses revealed significant group classification rates using ARQ score as the independent factor. Regression analyses indicated daily routines, as assessed by the ARQ, significantly predicted the severity of ADHD symptoms in adolescents. Benefits of assessing adolescents’ daily routines and implications relative to treatment outcome research are discussed.

Date

2010

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Kelley, Mary Lou

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.2298

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Psychology Commons

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