Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2023, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Clinicians who perform psychoeducational assessments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are typically unaware of the utility of Symptom Validity Tests (SVTs) and often rely on clinical interviews and self-report checklists for diagnosis (Suhr et al., 2008, Young & Gross, 2011). This type of methodology, however, has been found to have serious limitations as it assumes that the respondents are truthful and introspective. This is particularly evident because most self-report checklists rely on direct questioning, increasing social desirability bias. Consequently, these checklists often overestimate pathology in adults with various psychiatric conditions, producing clinically significant levels of ADHD symptoms (Harrison, 2004). The 40-item Keshev Dimensional Scale - Adult (KDS-A) was developed to address the limitations of existing measures. The development utilized facet theory (Guttman 1959; Shye 1978; Tversky & Hutchinson 1986) using the DSM-V (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) criteria. Results showed that the KDS-A had comparable internal consistency with an existing self-report measure of ADHD commonly used today, and that the KDS-A was also highly correlated with the existing measure supporting the concurrent validity. The KDS-A was also shown to have slightly higher sensitivity and specificity than the existing measure used in this study. Future research needs to be conducted on the effect of embedding the KDS-A within an existing multi-scale personality measure, along with the development of norms for the measure as well.

Committee: Amir Poreh, Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Colleen McMahon, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kathleen Reardon, Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychological Tests; Psychology

Master of Music (MM), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Music Composition

The Inconsistent Continuities is a single movement chamber piece with fixed media. The Inconsistent Continuities was composed for Hypercube Ensemble, whose performing forces include saxophone, electric guitar, percussion, and piano. An additional fixed media component is being controlled over time by one of the performers. The piece's theme is inspired by my personalized perception of living and coping with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The Inconsistent Continuities aims to sonically portray my personalized experiences living and coping with ADHD. Each ensemble member, plus the fixed media, personifies one or multiples of the three main ADHD traits: fixation; distraction; and inattentiveness. The single-movement piece comprises three sections. The first section establishes the four ensemble members as a theoretical “brain” attempting to formulate a musical melodic gesture or “idea.” This idea loops, signifying the characteristics of fixation. An external distraction from the fixed media then attempts to distract the ensemble from their original melodic thought. The musical content introduced by the fixed media is distant and obtrusive compared to the fixated thought from earlier. The remaining role (inattentiveness) is introduced during this section and attempts to bypass the first thought and the distraction. This section represents the mind being overly stimulated and the traits of ADHD that are more prevalent and controlling. The second section begins as a collective dialogue between all three characteristics that eventually reaches critical mass, followed by an abrupt breath inhale by the ensemble. This represents the mind being overwhelmed during social situations and everyday life while desperately seeking a moment of clarity. The final section unites each member, but the melodic idea of the piece changes, representing the mind solving the task or completing its thought through the tangential ADHD thought process.

Committee: Elainie Lillios Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Mikel Kuehn Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Clinical

This qualitative study examines the lived experience of adult women diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with a specific focus on gender roles and social support. Previous research has identified a potential conflict between symptoms of ADHD and societal expectations of women, in addition to a negative correlation between levels of social support and ADHD symptoms. In the present study, in-depth semi-structured interviews that focused on societal expectations of women and social support were conducted with nine women from ages 25 to 45 diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Results of content analysis of interview transcripts indicate that most participants perceived themselves as possessing different personal qualities than those societally expected of women. Participants described reacting to these perceived differences by attempting to modify themselves to meet societal expectations, pretending to meet expectations, or intentionally flouting societal expectations. Most participants reported that increased ADHD symptoms led to a decrease in social connectedness, whereas nearly one half of participants reported that increased social connectedness led to a decrease in ADHD symptoms. All participants reported that increased ADHD symptoms led to an increase in comorbid symptomatology. Some participants identified an optimal level of social connectedness and described an increase in ADHD and comorbid symptoms when deviating either above or below the optimal level. Future research should examine adaptive responding to conflicts between socially dictated gender norms and qualities of women with ADHD and examine the concept of an optimal middle level of social connection

Committee: Catherine Stein Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dara Musher-Eizenman Ph.D. (Committee Member); William O’Brien Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Psychology

The relationship between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and creativity is an area of current interest, yet there are very few studies in the literature with adolescents. Those few studies have found mixed results as to whether there is an association between ADHD and creativity. Theoretically, lower levels of inhibitory control, characteristic of individuals with ADHD, may aid creativity by way of looser associations and access to remote ideas (Mendelsohn, 1976; Radel et al., 2015; Abraham et al., 2006). On the other hand, higher levels of inhibitory control may be a necessary component of creativity in order to filter and evaluate ideas and generate something novel (Cassotti et al., 2016). By accounting for the role of inhibitory control in the present study, we sought a clearer understanding of this relationship. The primary aims of the present study were to analyze differences in creative performance between typical adolescents and adolescents with ADHD and to analyze the role of inhibitory control. Forty-four participants completed the study in a remote format and 30 completed the study in person. Of the 44 remote participants, 27 were typically developing and 17 had ADHD. Looking at the remote group, hypotheses were not supported in that there were no differences on the divergent creativity measures or on convergent creativity measures between typical adolescents and adolescents with ADHD. Regarding inhibitory control, there were no meaningful associations between inhibitory control and creativity in the remote group or in the ADHD in-person group. This study was the first to include a measure of inhibitory control in investigating differences in creativity between typical adolescents and adolescents with ADHD. Results suggest that although adolescents with ADHD do not have a creative advantage compared to their typical peers, they do not have a deficit either. Results of the present study support those found in the literature on the relation (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Sandra Russ PhD (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Short PhD (Committee Member); Eva Kahana PhD (Committee Member); Anastasia Dimitropoulos PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology