Date of Award
Fall 2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
Program
Clinical Psychology
First Advisor
Gerdes, Alyson C.
Second Advisor
Magnus, Brooke E.
Third Advisor
Van Hecke, Amy V.
Abstract
Affecting roughly 5% of the population, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common mental health disorder characterized by deficits in attention, activity level, and/or impulse control causing impairments across multiple domains of functioning (APA, 2013). Although ADHD is most commonly associated with impairment in academic and behavioral functioning, there also exists a strong connection between the disorder and significant social impairment. Indeed, youth with ADHD typically have fewer friends and experience significantly higher levels of peer rejection than do typically developing youth (Bagwell, Molina, Pelham, & Hoza, 2001). In addition to social problems, ADHD is often associated with problems in the home, such as poor parental and family functioning (Theule, Weiner, Tannock, & Jenkins, 2013). Research also indicates that parental distress is both directly and indirectly related to child behavioral and social problems (Sanner & Neece, 2018; Fenesey, Teh, & Lee, 2019). Therefore, it is possible that the relationship between social impairment in youth with ADHD and poor parental/family functioning is bidirectional. The proposed study aimed to examine the relationship between maternal/family functioning and social functioning in young adolescents with ADHD and to examine if maternal/family functioning predicts social functioning outcomes following a 14-week friendship building intervention.