Faculty Bibliography

Objectives: Organizational skills training (OST) for youth with ADHD is an efficacious treatment that addresses impairments at home and in school. Modifications of OST were conducted to treat children with or without ADHD, to reduce treatment barriers, and to respond to changes in school demands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method(s): After an initial RCT documenting OST efficacy, 3 further studies involved: 1) an open replication of the original RCT confirming improvements in organization, time management, and planning (OTMP) in children diagnosed with ADHD (N = 15) using twice-weekly in-person visits; 2) a subsequent open trial investigating children with deficient organizational skills with or without ADHD and altering delivery to involve a combination of in-person and virtual meetings (N = 29); and 3) a third study with subjects with low OTMP skills who do not necessarily have ADHD, receive treatment with combined in-person and virtual delivery or, in response to COVID-19 restrictions, fully virtual delivery (N = 27, thus far), and, in response to remote school delivery, have altered OST content to fit varied school instruction demands (eg, use of electronic documents instead of papers) while adhering to the principles of OST. Change was measured on the Children's Organizational Skills Scales (COSS).
Result(s): 1) Improvements in OTMP skills (parent ratings d = 3.73; teacher ratings d = 1.12) in the first open study were comparable to the initial RCT findings. 2) In study 2, parents also reported substantial improvements (d = 3.04), and teachers reported large changes (d = 0.88) in pre-post comparisons. 3) In the ongoing RCT, subjects who received treatment immediately were reported to have large changes by parents (d = 2.17) and moderate changes by teachers (d = 0.47) when compared to waitlist controls.
Conclusion(s): Initial analyses indicate that OST leads to OTMP improvements in children struggling with disorganization with and without ADHD diagnosis. Improvements are found when treatment is delivered fully in-person, delivered in hybrid in-person and virtual meetings, or delivered fully virtually. OST could help children with or without ADHD improve behavioral and emotional adjustment at home and in school, when treatment delivery is modified to increase treatment availability, and when school demands are varied. ADHD, CBT, EBP
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BACKGROUND:With increasing data archives comprised of studies with similar measurement, optimal methods for data harmonization and measurement scoring are a pressing need. We compare three methods for harmonizing and scoring the AUDIT as administered with minimal variation across 11 samples from eight study sites within the STTR (Seek-Test-Treat-Retain) Research Harmonization Initiative. Descriptive statistics and predictive validity results for cut-scores, sum scores, and Moderated Nonlinear Factor Analysis scores (MNLFA; a psychometric harmonization method) are presented. METHODS:Across the eight study sites, sample sizes ranged from 50 to 2405 and target populations varied based on sampling frame, location, and inclusion/exclusion criteria. The pooled sample included 4667 participants (82% male, 52% Black, 24% White, 13% Hispanic, and 8% Asian/ Pacific Islander; mean age of 38.9 years). Participants completed the AUDIT at baseline in all studies. RESULTS:After logical harmonization of items, we scored the AUDIT using three methods: published cut-scores, sum scores, and MNLFA. We found greater variation, fewer floor effects, and the ability to directly address missing data in MNLFA scores as compared to cut-scores and sum scores. MNLFA scores showed stronger associations with binge drinking and clearer study differences than did other scores. CONCLUSIONS:MNLFA scores are a promising tool for data harmonization and scoring in pooled data analysis. Model complexity with large multi-study applications, however, may require new statistical advances to fully realize the benefits of this approach.

This systematic review examines whether negative affect symptoms (i.e., anxiety, depression, and internalizing symptoms more broadly) predict subsequent adolescent substance use after controlling for co-occurring externalizing symptoms. Following PRISMA procedures, we identified 61 studies that tested the association of interest. Findings varied depending on the type of negative affect symptom and to some extent on the substance use outcome. The most consistent associations were evident for depressive symptoms, particularly as predictors of substance use composite scores. No clear association between anxiety and substance use or between internalizing symptoms and substance use was evident, and indeed these associations were as often negative as positive. Mixed findings regarding the depression-substance use association, however, also call for greater attention to potential moderating factors that may help define who, when, and in what context depression serves as an important risk factor for later substance use above and beyond risk associated with externalizing symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND:Findings in the literature show mixed support for adolescent self-medication. Following recent reformulations of the self-medication hypothesis, we tested within-person effects of daily fluctuations in sadness and worry on daily substance use, and explored the moderating role of the peer context on self-medication. We hypothesized that greater daily fluctuations in mood would predict greater daily substance use, and lower levels of peer social support and higher levels of peer drug use would further increase this risk. DESIGN AND METHODS/METHODS:Experience sampling methods captured within-person daily variations in mood and substance use over 21 days among 73 adolescents. An observational coding system was employed to characterize enacted peer social support. Multilevel modeling was used to parse between- versus within-person differences in risk for daily substance use. RESULTS:Greater within-person daily fluctuations in feelings of worry (but not sadness) significantly predicted increased daily substance use, consistent with self-medication. Moreover, greater daily fluctuations in negative affect were a stronger predictor of daily use than total level of daily negative affect. Peer social support moderated this relationship such that those with more supportive friendships were less likely to engage in self-medication. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:This is the first reported study to examine within-person processes of adolescent self-medication related to daily variability in mood and the peer context. Adolescent self-medication processes appear to differ depending on the type of negative affect and whether daily affective experiences are chronic or fluctuating, suggesting that the affective processes that cue adolescents to engage in substance use are quite nuanced.

UNLABELLED:The neural correlates of response to psychosocial stress and gender differences therein are difficult to model experimentally as this type of stressor is difficult to induce in a brain imaging environment. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a behavioral paradigm that reliably induces moderate levels of stress was thus modified for the MRI environment. To determine the neurobehavioral basis of gender differences in response to observing oneself under social evaluative stress, 26 subjects (14 females) performed the TSST while being videotaped. During fMRI scanning, subjects were shown alternating video clips of two CONDITIONS/CONCLUSIONS:SELF or a same-sex OTHER performing the TSST. Subjects rated their stress level immediately after the video clips. GENDER differences in the [SELF-OTHER] contrast were analyzed. There was a GENDER×CONDITION interaction such that only women reported increased subjective stress during video feedback of their TSST session. A whole brain analysis (SELF vs. OTHER) showed activation in the bilateral insula, inferior, middle and superior frontal gyri. Greater recruitment was seen among males in some of these same areas in the context of significantly lower stress ratings. Activation of areas involved in inhibitory control and sensory awareness might contribute to the significantly lower stress ratings in males. Understanding these gender differences is relevant to disorders of stress and self-concept.