Browsing by Author "Jarrett, Matthew A."

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    Primary Versus Secondary Diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Youth: Is the Distinction an Important One?
    Ollendick, Thomas H.; Jarrett, Matthew A.; White, Bradley A.; White, Susan W.; Grills, Amie E. (Springer, 2016-08-01)
    Examine whether children with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) differ from children with a secondary diagnosis of GAD on clinician, parent, teacher, and youth-report measures. Based on consensus diagnoses, 64 youth referred to a general outpatient assessment clinic were categorized as having either a primary or secondary diagnosis of GAD. A semi-structured diagnostic interview was used to guide diagnostic decisions and assign primary versus secondary diagnostic status. We predicted that youth with a primary GAD diagnosis would present with greater anxiety symptomatology and symptom impairment on a variety of anxiety-related measures than youth with a secondary GAD diagnosis. Contrary to our hypotheses, no differences were found between those with primary versus secondary GAD diagnoses on measures of symptom severity and clinical impairment, comorbid diagnoses, or youth and teacher-report measures. Our findings have potential implications for the current practice of requiring primary anxiety diagnostic status as an inclusion criterion in clinical research and treatment outcome studies. Assuming our findings are confirmed in larger samples and with other anxiety disorders, future clinical trials and basic psychopathology research might not exclude youth based on absence of a particular anxiety disorder as the primary disorder but rather include individuals for whom that anxiety disorder is secondary as well.
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    The Role of Executive and Motivational Laboratory Tasks in the Assessment of Externalizing and Internalizing Problems in ADHD-C and Non-ADHD-C Youth
    Jarrett, Matthew A. (Virginia Tech, 2006-04-28)
    The current study utilized laboratory tasks (Conners' Continuous Performance Test, CPT; Behavioral Inhibition Task, BIT) to examine the relationships among motivation, executive functioning, and parent and teacher-reported attention, internalizing, and externalizing problems in a clinical sample of 132 children with or without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Combined Type (ADHD-C; 69% male, mean age = 9.88). Specificity was examined through total, unique, and interactive effects via hierarchical regression. Higher CPT scores (i.e., executive disinhibition) were related to greater externalizing problems in total and unique effect analyses, while a relationship between lower CPT scores (i.e., executive inhibition) and greater internalizing problems was found only in unique effect analyses. No significant effects were found for motivational inhibition (i.e., low BIT) or disinhibition (i.e., high BIT). ADHD-C was associated with greater attention and externalizing problems in total effect analyses, but only externalizing problems showed a significant relationship in unique effect analyses. Interactive effects were found for ADHD-C and executive functioning, as lower levels of CPT (i.e., executive inhibition) coupled with ADHD-C resulted in greater parent-reported attention problems. In addition, higher CPT scores (i.e., executive disinhibition) were associated with greater parent-reported externalizing problems in Non-ADHD-C children. Although some main effects were predicted, the interactive effects were somewhat surprising, particularly in relation to ADHD-C, executive inhibition, and parent-reported attention problems. Exploratory analyses revealed that this effect may have been due to greater internalizing problems in ADHD-C children at lower levels of CPT (i.e., executive inhibition). Results are discussed in relation to past studies and laboratory task validity.
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    Self-Regulation Deficits Explain the Link between Reactive Aggression and Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children
    White, Bradley A.; Jarrett, Matthew A.; Ollendick, Thomas H. (Springer/Plenum Publishers, 2013-03-01)
    Childhood aggression is often associated with significant psychosocial maladjustment; however, adjustment difficulties may vary based on the function of aggression. The present study used the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Gioia, Isquith, Guy, & Kenworthy, 2000) to examine whether difficulties in particular domains of self-regulation serve as common mechanisms in the association between reactive (versus proactive) aggression and internalizing or externalizing adjustment problems in clinic-referred children. Reactive aggression was associated with poorer behavioral regulation and metacognition, whereas proactive aggression was not associated with poorer self-regulation. Further, the association between reactive aggression and adjustment problems, both internalizing and externalizing, was accounted for by poorer behavioral regulation and metacognitive skills. Gender, age, ADHD diagnosis, IQ, and psychotropic medication status did not account for the results. These findings suggest that self-regulation skills influence adjustment problems in reactively aggressive youth and may be important targets of intervention for such children.
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    The Treatment of Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Anxiety in Children
    Jarrett, Matthew A. (Virginia Tech, 2009-09-25)
    The current study evaluated a treatment designed specifically for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. The experimental treatment involved a combination of parent management training for ADHD and family-based treatment for anxiety. Sessions lasted approximately 90 minutes, and the treatment consisted of 10 weekly sessions. 8 children ages 8-12 with ADHD, Combined Type (ADHD-C) and at least one of three anxiety disorders (separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia) were selected for the study. Children were assessed with semi-structured diagnostic interviews and other standardized measures to determine study eligibility. The current study utilized a noncurrent multiple baseline design to evaluate treatment efficacy. Upon selection into the study, children were randomized to one of three baseline control conditions (i.e., 2, 3, or 4 weeks of waiting) in order to insure that change in behavior was associated with implementation of the treatment. Treatment commenced after the respective baseline periods. Families were assessed throughout treatment but more comprehensive assessments were conducted at pre-treatment, mid-treatment, and 1-week post-treatment. Results highlighted significant improvement in anxiety-related symptoms but more modest gains for ADHD-related symptoms.