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VTechWorks provides global access to Virginia Tech scholarship, including journal articles, books, theses, dissertations, conference papers, slide presentations, technical reports, working papers, administrative documents, videos, images, and more by faculty, students, and staff. Faculty can deposit items to VTechWorks from Elements, including journal articles covered by the University open access policy. Email vtechworks@vt.edu for help.
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More than 50 freely available and openly licensed textbooks are among our most downloaded items.
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Recent Submissions
Telehealth Delivery of the RELAX Intervention for Families of Adolescents Diagnosed with ADHD: Preliminary Treatment Outcomes and Evidence of Acceptability and Feasibility
Breaux, Rosanna; Shroff, Delshad M.; Cash, Annah R.; Swanson, Courtney S.; Carlton, Corinne; Bertollo, Jennifer R.; Dahiya, Angela V. (Taylor & Francis, 2021-11)
Regulating Emotions Like An eXpert (RELAX) is a group-based intervention that targets emotion dysregulation (ED) and interpersonal conflict among adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study is a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of RELAX across in-person and telehealth groups, examining differences in treatment outcomes and feedback based on format. Participants included 32 families (18 in-person, 14 telehealth) with adolescents diagnosed with ADHD, ages 11–16. Caregiver-, clinician- and adolescent-report of adolescent ED, adolescent communication, and caregiver-adolescent/family conflict, as well as caregiver self-report of ED and emotion socialization were collected pre- and post-RELAX; caregivers and adolescents completed a feedback survey post-RELAX. Attendance was higher for telehealth (95% vs. 87%), but homework completion was higher for in-person (85% vs. 70%). Caregiver and adolescent feedback indicated very high rates of satisfaction with RELAX, with no significant differences in caregiver satisfaction and minimal differences in adolescent satisfaction between the in-person and telehealth groups. Large improvements were found for caregiver and clinician ratings of adolescent ED (η2 = .18−.48) and family conflict (η2 = .26 and.43), moderate decreases in non-supportive emotion socialization were found (η2 = .11), and small improvements were found for caregiver ED (η2 = .03). Treatment outcomes were similar for in-person and telehealth groups, with some evidence for larger improvement of adolescent ED for telehealth, whereas larger improvement in family conflict emerged for in-person. RELAX was successfully adapted to be administered via telehealth with similar feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy to the in-person intervention. Efforts to continue disseminating and evaluating ED-focused interventions are warranted and imperative.
Predictors of executive function trajectories in adolescents with and without ADHD: Links with academic outcomes
Shroff, Delshad M.; Dunn, Nicholas C.; Green, Cathrin D.; Breaux, Rosanna; Becker, Stephen P.; Langberg, Joshua M. (Cambridge University Press, 2024-08)
Changes in executive function (EF) occur during adolescence with several factors (e.g., parenting styles, socioeconomic status) influencing the development of EF abilities. These changes are important as EF has been strongly linked with a range of outcomes including academic achievement, job performance, and social-emotional well-being. However, few studies have examined variability in EF trajectories during this critical developmental period, or trajectories in samples known to have specific impairments with EF, such as adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study examined differential trajectories of three domains of parent-rated EF in 302 adolescents (167 males; Mage = 13.17 years) with and without ADHD (53.6% with ADHD) from grade 8 to 10. The study also explored whether adolescent ADHD, parent ADHD, and parents' own EF predicted EF trajectories in addition to the longitudinal relation between trajectories and academic outcomes. Findings suggest that adolescence is marked by significant variability in EF development due to factors such as ADHD status, parent ADHD, and parent EF ability. Additionally, adolescents who displayed poor EF abilities throughout middle and high school had significantly lower grade point averages and poorer parent-, teacher-, and self-reported academic outcomes. Implications for interventions targeting EF deficits among adolescents with and without ADHD are discussed.
Using a Mobile App to Support Parents of Children with Behavior Problems
Dahiya, Angela V.; Breaux, Rosanna; Pham, Stephanie N.; Martino, Daniele C.; Fok, Megan; Albright, Jordan; Shroff, Delshad M.; Scarpa, Angela (Springer, 2025-10)
Evidence-based mental health services are difficult to access; telehealth and mobile health hold promise by removing barriers to traditional clinic-based interventions and enabling broader access. Behavioral parent training (BPT) is an evidence-based treatment for child disruptive behaviors. This project examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of using a mobile BPT app, Treks, with families as a standalone treatment (Study 1) or in combination with brief clinician consultation (Study 2). Study 1 participants included 20 caregivers of children with challenging behaviors who engaged with Treks for four weeks. Study 2 participants included 26 caregivers of autistic children with behavioral concerns; all parents received a one-session telehealth consultation followed by random assignment to four weeks of Treks engagement (Treks; n = 14) or access to online resources (consultation control: CC; n = 12). Across both studies, Treks was rated positively and was reported by parents as acceptable and appropriate for their concerns, as well as adequately feasible. In Study 1, 60% of participants fully completed Treks and 83% of completers showed reliable improvement in at least one main outcome (parenting stress, parent sense of competence, and child behavior problems). In study 2, there were significant improvements in Treks but not CC participants, showing moderate-to-large decreases in child disruptive behaviors and parent stress and increases in parent-perceived competency. Mobile app-delivered BPT has the capacity to support families as a feasible and acceptable standalone treatment and should be considered as part of a stepped-care approach or for families who cannot access clinician-delivered BPT.
Family-of-Origin of Violence, Insecure Attachment, and Depression Symptoms in Emerging Adults: A Brief Report
Lewis, Jasmine; George, Brianna; Dike, Janey; Breaux, Rosanna; Brem, Meagan J. (Springer, 2025-03-24)
Purpose: Family-of-origin violence (FOV) has been linked to numerous deleterious consequences in adulthood, including depression. Many individuals who experience FOV display anxious (i.e., fear of abandonment) and avoidant (i.e., fear of interpersonal intimacy) attachment styles. Higher levels of insecure attachment confer vulnerability for depression following conflict, whereas more secure romantic attachment attenuates the effects of violence exposure. It follows that experiencing low levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance during an emerging adulthood relationship may offset consequences associated with childhood FOV. Thus, we hypothesized that college students’ childhood FOV exposure would positively relate to their current depression symptoms, but only among those with high levels of attachment anxiety and avoidance within their current relationship. Methods: Participants included 204 college students (75% women; Mage = 19.93 years; 86.6% white) who were in dating relationships for at least one week. Results: Anxious attachment emerged as a significant moderator and avoidant attachment was a marginally significant moderator of the association between childhood FOV and self-reported adult depression symptoms such that these associations were positive among participants with medium to high, but not low, levels of attachment anxiety and avoidant attachment. Conclusions: Findings highlight that childhood FOV exposure does not relate to depression symptoms among emerging adults who have lower levels of attachment anxiety within their current relationship. These results suggest that attachment anxiety and avoidance within current romantic relationships might be important intervention targets for emerging adults exposed to FOV.
Examining daily stimulant medication use and sleep in adolescents with ADHD
Wiggs, Kelsey K.; Breaux, Rosanna; Langberg, Joshua M.; Peugh, James L.; Becker, Stephen P. (Springer, 2024-03)
Research has been inconclusive as to whether stimulant treatment causes or exacerbates sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD. This study examined sleep differences in adolescents with ADHD as a function of stimulant use. Participants were adolescents with ADHD (N = 159, ages 12–14). Parents reported on receipt of stimulant treatment (n = 92, 57.86%; n = 47 amphetamines, n = 45 methylphenidate). Adolescents wore actigraphs and completed daily diaries assessing sleep and daily use of stimulants for 2 weeks. Sleep parameters included daily-reported bedtime, sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and difficulty waking the following morning; and actigraphy-measured sleep onset time, total time in bed, and sleep efficiency. We estimated between- and within-individual associations between stimulant medication use and sleep indices with all stimulants, after removing adolescents using sleep aids and weekend days, and as a function of stimulant type. Adolescent sleep did not differ between those receiving and not receiving stimulant treatment. Within individuals using stimulants, we largely observed no significant differences between medicated and unmedicated days, though findings were most often significant for school days only. Small effects were found indicating longer SOL, later sleep onset time, and more daytime sleepiness related to medication use. In contrast, there were slight improvements to sleep duration and sleep efficiency related to methylphenidate use, though methylphenidate was also associated with later sleep onset time and more daytime sleepiness. Given the inconsistent and small effects, findings suggest that stimulant medication may impact sleep, but does not appear to be a primary contributor to sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD.