Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

Scholarly Works (5 results)

  • Article
  • Peer Reviewed
UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2024)
BACKGROUND: Problematic Internet use (i.e., Internet use that disrupts functioning in other important domains; PIU) is increasingly prevalent worldwide, particularly among youth. One form of PIU relates specifically to interpersonal interaction and communication, deemed social PIU. Social PIU has been linked to various forms of psychopathology, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Yet with limited longitudinal research, the direction of this association remains unclear. Moreover, little research investigates whether social PIU is linked to one or both symptom dimensions of ADHD (inattention vs. hyperactivity/impulsivity). METHODS: The present study utilized data from the largest extant longitudinal study of girls with childhood-diagnosed ADHD (N = 228). Linear regression and structural equation models were used to analyze social PIU as both a prospective predictor and outcome of ADHD symptoms. RESULTS: Inattentive ADHD symptoms were positively associated with concurrent social PIU in initial regression models but were non-significant in path analyses. Social PIU was only marginally significant in predicting subsequent inattention six years later. Symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity were unrelated to social PIU among girls at either time point. CONCLUSIONS: Inattentive ADHD symptoms were initially positively linked to concurrent problems with social Internet use, but bidirectional associations were non-significant in path analyses. Relations between PIU and ADHD in girls may be less robust than previously thought, although further longitudinal research with clinical samples is needed to clarify which groups of adolescents are particularly vulnerable to social PIU and its long-term effects.
    Cover page: Problematic social Internet use and associations with ADHD symptoms in girls: a longitudinal observational study.
    • Article
    • Peer Reviewed
    UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2021)
    We investigated initial engagement in oral sex and sexual intercourse, as well as number of sexual partners, among a prospectively followed sample of adolescent girls with and without a thorough childhood diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were adolescent girls (ages 12-19) followed longitudinally as part of a study of ADHD in females. A diverse sample of 140 girls with clinician-diagnosed ADHD (47 inattentive, 93 combined) and 88 age- and ethnicity-matched comparison girls were initially recruited and invited to partake in research summer programs. We utilized data on initial engagement in oral sex, sexual intercourse, and number of sexual partners, collected during follow-up interviews conducted 5 and 10 years after baseline participation. Girls with a childhood diagnosis of ADHD engaged in oral sex at a significantly younger age and reported nearly twice as many oral sex partners than their typically developing peers. Post hoc tests revealed that group differences were driven largely by girls with the combined presentation of ADHD (i.e., those with childhood histories of both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity). No significant differences emerged with respect to age of initial sexual intercourse or number of male sexual intercourse partners. In sum, adolescent girls with ADHD, particularly those with the combined presentation, were more likely to engage in oral sexual activity at a young age and with a greater number of both male and female partners. Findings highlight the need for longitudinal research that quantifies and distinguishes between various forms of sexual behavior and later reproductive and mental health outcomes.
      Cover page: Initial Engagement in Oral Sex and Sexual Intercourse Among Adolescent Girls With and Without Childhood Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
      • Article
      • Peer Reviewed
      UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2022)
      UNLABELLED: Limited research has identified prospective risk factors for young-adult sex work or examined overlapping predictors concurrently. We investigated childhood sexual abuse (CSA), along with other theory-driven predictors of sex work, among a well-characterized sample of girls with and without childhood diagnoses of attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODS: Participants were a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 140 girls with rigorously diagnosed ADHD (47 Inattentive [ADHD-I], 93 Combined [ADHD-C]), and 88 age- and ethnicity-matched comparison girls, all followed longitudinally into adulthood. Self-report data on young-adult occupations revealed a subsample of 7 participants reporting engagement in sex work or prostitution. Logistic regressions tested whether CSA, measured both dichotomously and by discrete age ranges, predicted later sex work, accounting for other risk factors. RESULTS: A lifetime history of CSA was positively associated with sex work in initial analyses (β = 1.51, p = .045), but not after adjusting for additional risk factors. When examined by age ranges, only CSA occurring between ages 9-15 significantly predicted sex work (β = 2.84, p = .043), even after adjusting for additional risk factors. Childhood ADHD-C also emerged as a significant predictor (β = 4.94, p = .015). ADHD-related medication and years of education were protective factors only when CSA was considered dichotomously. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this exploratory study underscore the need for longitudinal research that (a) considers the developmental timing of CSA and (b) accounts for impulsivity and inattention as risk factors for sex work among young-adult women. Implications for clinical practice are briefly discussed.
        Cover page: An Exploratory Investigation of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Other Theory-Driven Predictors of Sex Work Among Women with and without Childhood ADHD.
        • Thesis
        • Peer Reviewed
        UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations (2024)

        Problematic Internet use (i.e., Internet use that disrupts functioning in other important domains; PIU) is increasingly prevalent worldwide, particularly among youth. One form of PIU relates specifically to interpersonal interaction and communication, deemed social PIU. Social PIU has been linked to various forms of psychopathology, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but with limited longitudinal studies, the direction of this association remains unclear. Moreover, little research has investigated potential mechanisms that may explain the link between ADHD and social PIU. The present study analyzed data from the largest longitudinal study of girls with childhood-diagnosed ADHD in existence (N=228), with four waves of data collection taking place from childhood (ages 6-12) to adulthood (ages 21-29). There were two primary goals: first, to clarify the direction of relations between ADHD symptoms and social PIU, and second, to investigate attachment anxiety and self-stigma as possible mechanisms explaining cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between ADHD and social PIU. Attachment anxiety was examined among the full sample, whereas self-stigma was examined only among the subsample of girls with childhood ADHD due to measurement constraints. Results were consistent with a bidirectional association between social PIU and the inattentive symptoms of ADHD only, with no relation to hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Inattention in adolescence (but not childhood) was positively associated with social PIU in adolescence, which in turn predicted greater symptoms of inattention six years later. Attachment anxiety accounted for a significant proportion of the variance shared by social PIU and inattention in adolescence, underscoring the importance of relational patterns in understanding social PIU. Among the subsample of girls with childhood ADHD, self-stigma was unrelated to social PIU. Taken together, these findings highlight attention deficits and relationship-related anxiety as two factors that partially explain social PIU in girls, with the former also exacerbated by social PIU over time. Clinically, results point to the importance of monitoring adolescent girls for signs of social PIU, especially those with ADHD or persistent anxiety about navigating close relationships. With the ongoing proliferation and ubiquity of social media platforms, it is essential for researchers to continue identifying the antecedents and consequences of problematic social Internet use.

          Cover page: Problematic Social Internet Use: Bidirectional Associations with ADHD Symptoms and the Roles of Attachment Anxiety and Self-Stigma
          • Article
          • Peer Reviewed
          UC Berkeley Previously Published Works (2022)
          OBJECTIVE: We examined the predictive relation between childhood-diagnosed ADHD and trajectories of body mass index (BMI) from childhood to adulthood in an all-female sample, accounting for socioeconomic status (SES), childhood comorbidities (e.g., depression/anxiety), and stimulant usage. Childhood executive functioning (i.e., planning, sustained attention, and response inhibition) was also evaluated as a possible predictor of BMI trajectories. METHOD: We utilized longitudinal data from a full sample of 140 girls diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and 88 comparison girls matched on age and ethnicity. Girls were 6-12 years old at the first assessment and followed prospectively for 16 years. Data were collected on their BMI and stimulant medication usage across four evaluation waves. Using latent growth curve modeling, we evaluated the BMI trajectories of girls with ADHD and the comparison sample from childhood to adulthood. RESULTS: Although there was no significant difference in initial childhood BMI, girls with ADHD increased in BMI at a significantly faster rate than comparison girls across development, even when adjusting for covariates. Significant differences in BMI first emerged in adolescence; by adulthood, 40.2% of the ADHD sample met criteria for obesity versus 15.4% of the comparison sample. When covarying ADHD diagnosis, executive functioning measures were not significantly predictive of BMI increase. Adjusting for stimulant medication usage within the ADHD sample did not alter core findings. CONCLUSIONS: We discuss health-related implications for girls with ADHD, potential underlying mechanisms, and how our findings may inform both ADHD and obesity interventions.
            Cover page: Body Mass Indices of Girls with and without ADHD: Developmental Trajectories from Childhood to Adulthood.
            Top