ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the reliability and discriminant validity of a behavioral task of impulsivity, the delay-discounting task. METHOD: Young adults were asked to report ADHD diagnostic status and to complete the delay-discounting task. The internal consistency of the task was determined, task performances of individuals with and without self-reported ADHD were compared, and the ability of this task to discriminate between participants with and without self-reported ADHD was assessed. RESULTS: The delay-discounting task showed very good to excellent internal consistency. Furthermore, participants with self-reported ADHD responded to the task in a more impulsive manner than did non-ADHD participants. Finally, moderate discriminant validity for detecting self-reported ADHD using this task was found. CONCLUSION: Findings showed that the delay-discounting task is a promising task for both clinical research and practice as it has strong reliability overall and has moderate discriminant ability for self-reported ADHD in young adults.
Subject(s)
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/physiopathology , Impulsive Behavior , Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology , Decision Making , Female , Humans , Male , Reproducibility of Results , Reward , Task Performance and Analysis , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
The study examines the relationship between Asperger's Disorder (AD) and Schizotypal Personality Disorder (SPD), mutually exclusive but similar diagnoses [DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Washington, DC: Author]. The literature and comparison of diagnostic criteria suggest that the two disorders may overlap: AD social impairment with SPD interpersonal problems and AD communication deficits with SPD disorganized features. Questionnaire measures of AD and SPD were administered to a large non-clinical adult sample. Consistent with expectations, the Asperger's and Schizotypal questionnaires were positively correlated. Further, the social-interpersonal and communication-disorganized areas were positively correlated, though the relationship between social-interpersonal areas is particularly strong. Future research should continue to explore the relationship between AD and schizotypy to confirm current findings and improve understanding of distinctions between the disorders.
Subject(s)
Asperger Syndrome/epidemiology , Schizotypal Personality Disorder/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Schizotypal Personality Disorder/diagnosis , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
A modified skills training component of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was implemented in a group therapy format for non-suicidal outpatient young adolescents who met criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Thirty-two youths completed the 16-week program, as well as pre- and post-treatment measures. The treatment was effective not only in decreasing negative behaviors, but also in increasing positive behaviors, per caregiver report. The youths reported a significant reduction in externalizing and internalizing symptoms and in depression. Reliable change indices indicated that far more participants were in the improved category than in the deteriorated category on the measures of interest. Despite the absence of control groups but consistent with the treatment outcome research literature for DBT-based treatments for other disorders, this study demonstrated that DBT skills training is feasible and shows promise in improving the behavior of ODD young adolescents.