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David Porrino, Psy.D., is a 2017 graduate of the Psy.D. Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee:

  • Martha Straus, Ph.D., Committee Chair
  • Gina Pasquale, Ph.D., Committee Member
  • Daniel Lafluer, Ph.D., Committee Member

Keywords

ADHD, adult ADHD, parents, parenting, pharmacotherapy, cognitive behavior therapy, ADHD treatment

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

An emerging body of research on the functional impairments of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults notes that parents with ADHD are likely to experience challenges in several facets of childrearing (e.g., Chronis-Tuscano et al., 2008a; Murray & Johnston, 2006). Despite empirical evidence suggesting parents with ADHD have particular kinds of struggles, research evaluating the effects of adult ADHD treatment on parenting challenges is quite scarce. By contrast, a breadth of research indicates that adult ADHD interventions, particularly pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), are effective in ameliorating ADHD symptoms. Further, CBT has shown to be an efficacious adjunctive treatment for ADHD and is associated with improvements in global functioning among ADHD-adults (e.g., Safren et al., 2005; Weiss et al., 2012). This dissertation proposes a conceptual framework outlining the mechanisms by which combined pharmacotherapy and CBT would be an effective treatment plan to address parenting challenges in adult ADHD. A small pilot study was conducted comparing parenting ratings between ADHD-parents and non-ADHD controls. The results of the pilot study are presented in the context of providing groundwork for a proposed randomized controlled trial to compare the efficacy of pharmacotherapy and combined treatment to treat parenting difficulties in adult ADHD. The implications and limitations of the pilot study, as well as anticipated implications and limitations of the theorized research, are discussed.

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David Porrino

ORCID Scholar ID# 0000-0001-5570-3596

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