Browsing by Author "Francisco, Jenifer"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    An Attention-Specific Intervention for Adults with ADHD
    Francisco, Jenifer (Virginia Tech, 2006-05-09)
    Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) consists of symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity that cause significant functional impairment (APA, 1994). Approximately 4.7% of adults are diagnosed with ADHD; however, there are few empirically-informed interventions that are specifically designed for adults. Instead, many of the common interventions for adults are derived from work done with children with ADHD and may not be appropriate for their particular needs (Weiss & Weiss, 2004). Given that adults with ADHD typically experience more symptoms of inattention rather than hyperactivity, an investigation of the effectiveness of an intervention that specifically targets their inattentive symptoms is warranted (Weiss & Weiss, 2004; Weiss et al., 2002). Therefore, the goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an attention-specific intervention for adults with ADHD. The intervention used in this study, Attention Process Training (APT; Sohlberg & Mateer, 1987), has never been applied to adults with ADHD. The underlying assumption behind this intervention is that attentional functioning can be improved through the use of tasks that are designed to re-train various aspects of attention. More specifically, this study addressed sustained, alternating, and selective/divided attention during the intervention. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used in order to assess the effectiveness of the APT among a sample of adults with ADHD. A sample of four adults, aged 21-37 years (M = 27.75) participated in this study and demonstrated minimal changes in their attentional ability after the intervention. In addition, the findings suggest that the different components of attention addressed in this intervention are not distinct and likely have a reciprocal affect on one another.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Social Information Processing as a Mediator of Exposure to Community Violence and Reactive and Proactive Aggression
    Francisco, Jenifer (Virginia Tech, 2003-05-06)
    The relationship between exposure to violence and aggression has been examined by many researchers. It has been reported that physically abused children and children from violent communities have more aggressive behavior than non-abused peers or peers from non-violent communities (Dodge et al., 1990; Dodge, 1993; Miller et al., 1999). In addition, it has been reported that children who are physically abused have social information processing deficits. However, the relationship between community violence exposure and aggression has yet to be fully explored. The present study proposed an underlying mechanism (i.e., social information processing deficits) that could be mediating the relationship between exposure to community violence and subsequent aggressive behavior. This study also looked at aggression more specifically and categorized the sample into reactive and proactive aggression. Thirty-nine children, aged 7-13 years, from a mostly rural setting were recruited to participate in this study. Self-report measures of community violence exposure, social information processing deficits (i.e., hostile or instrumental biases), and aggression (i.e., reactive or proactive) were included while controlling for child abuse potential and conflict in the home. The hypotheses of this study were not supported. Instead, the results supported a relationship between child abuse potential, social information processing biases, and aggression. Child abuse potential remained significant throughout the analyses, which suggests that it plays a larger role in the manifestation of aggressive behavior in children than does community violence exposure. Overall, the findings from this study are consistent with Dodge's work and has implications for treating children who are aggressive.