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Biomedical subjects

D K Dodd

Publications and source records attributed to D K Dodd.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

An experimental comparison of Pycnogenol and methylphenidate in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Twenty-four adults (24 to 53 years old) with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Combined Type, were studied in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of Pycnogenol and methylphenidate. Pycnogenol is an antioxidant derived from the bark of the French maritime pine tree. Methylphenidate is a standard pharmaceutical intervention for ADHD. Anecdotal reports suggest that Pycnogenol improves concentration in adults with ADHD without adverse side effects. Participants received Pycnogenol, methylphenidate, and placebo, each for three weeks, in a randomized and counterbalanced order. Although ADHD symptoms improved during treatment, neither methylphenidate nor Pycnogenol outperformed the placebo control, as measured by self-report rating scales, rating scales completed by the individual's significant other, and a computerized continuous performance test. The conservative dosage levels and relatively brief length of treatment may have contributed to the absence of significant differences among treatment conditions. Implications for future research are noted.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

GUTI: a measure of urgent task involvement among adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been proposed to represent adaptive responding to highly urgent situations as in primitive hunting. In the present study, 31 adults with self-reported ADHD were compared with 33 normal adults on a newly developed, 10-item measure of urgent task involvement. The internal consistency of the scale was suitable, and the group with ADHD scored significantly higher than the control group, as predicted. Validation and further development of this scale is required for it to become a tool for the study of performance of highly urgent tasks.

Adult↗

Language style and evaluation of a female speaker.

This study examined the effect of style of speech ("tentative" vs assertive) used by a female speaker upon the evaluations made by college students. Both men and women evaluated the assertive speaker more favorably than the tentative speaker. The hypothesis that men would devaluate the assertive woman was not supported.

Adult↗

Environmental and personality differences between children of alcoholics and their peers.

Nonclinical, adolescent children of alcoholics (COAs) and their peers from nonalcoholic homes (CONAs) responded to questionnaires of environmental variables, depression, and anxiety. Multivariate (discriminant) analyses revealed several meaningful differences between the two groups. Although the two groups differed on the measures of anxiety and depression, environmental stressors contributed most to the discriminant function that differentiated between the two groups. Also, gender differences were discovered, suggesting that males and females perceive problem drinking differently and that home environments may be different for the two genders. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Snacking, aversive imagery, and weight reduction.

This study was designed to explore the relationship between reduced snacking and weight loss and to evaluate the effectiveness of an aversive imagery procedure. Twenty-two participants completed an 11-wk. program designed to reduce the frequency of snacking. Reading an aversive "fat sheet" immediately prior to or after snacking, combined with a point system, was no more effective in reducing snacking than was the point system alone. Although incidence of snacking was significantly reduced, weight loss was greatest during the baseline period, when snacking was most frequent. The correlation between weekly weight loss and weekly number of snacks was nonsignificant. These results suggest that a single-minded focus on the reduction of snacking is unlikely to produce significant weight loss for most dieters.

Feeding Behavior↗

Grocery purchases as a function of obesity and assumed food deprivation.

Six hundred and four grocery shoppers were observed unobtrusively at three supermarkets to investigate the relationship between grocery purchasing and the factors of obesity, assumed food deprivation, social class, and meal hour. It has been suggested that shoppers will purchase more if they shop prior to eating rather than after (Stuart & Davis, 1972), although such a notion conflicts with Schachter's (1971) internal-external hypothesis and with the conclusions of one field study (Nisbett & Kanouse, 1969). We found that female shoppers who shopped prior to standard meal times consistently purchased more than those who shopped after meal times (P less than 0.001), regardless of social class or meal hour. Males displayed the same tendency though differences were not significant. No obese-normal differences were found for either sex. A negative relationship between obesity and social class was found amoung females (P less than 0.001).

Adult↗

Variables associated with alcohol abuse among self-identified collegiate COAs and their peers.

In order to investigate the interrelationship among children of alcoholics (COA) status, problem drinking, gender, and several psychosocial variables, a sample of college students completed a questionnaire that measured consequences of drinking, parental drinking habits, family environment, and personality. No relationship was found between COA status and either the likelihood or severity of problem drinking. Furthermore, COAs and non-COAs differed on only 4 of 15 psychosocial variables, suggesting a smaller impact of parental alcohol abuse than is commonly assumed. The variable most consistently related to problem drinking was social nonconformity, a measure of antisocial behavior. Findings suggest the importance of investigating the development and maintenance of antisocial behaviors as etiological factors in problem drinking among college students, rather than COA status per se.

Adolescent↗

The relationship between gender, symptoms of bulimia, and tolerance for stress.

University students completed a questionnaire that included a measure of bulimia and a measure of tolerance for stress. Women reported significantly more symptoms of bulimia and a lower tolerance for stress than did men. Women in their first year on campus reported significantly more symptoms of bulimia than those not in their first year. For both women and men, a greater number of bulimic symptoms was associated with lower levels of stress tolerance. The present results suggest that women in their first year on campus should be targeted in intervention and prevention activities for eating disorders and that the relationship between disordered eating and stress is the same for both women and men.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Classifying COAs with three variations of the CAST: classification rates, stability, and gender differences.

The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) was administered to a sample of young adolescents as sixth graders and again one year later. Psychometric properties of the full CAST and a shortened version (CAST-6) were examined, and three different rules for classifying COAs were analyzed. The CAST was found to demonstrate adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. When examined as an entire group, the vast majority of respondents maintained the same classification (COA or NCOA) from the first to the second administration. For boys, however, CAST scores and the proportion who were self-identified as COAs declined significantly. Classification rates based on the full CAST and on the shortened version were similar. The use of two confirmatory items, "Ever think your father (mother) was an alcoholic?" however, substantially reduced the percentage of self-identified COAs. Finally, girls were dramatically more likely than boys to endorse items suggesting parental alcoholism, and they were also more likely to self-identify as COAs.

Adolescent↗

Overlapping addictions and self-esteem among college men and women.

To examine whether there is a tendency for individuals to be multiply addicted, overlapping addictions to common substances (alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, cigarettes) and activities (exercise, gambling, Internet use, television, video games) were studied in 129 college men and women. Contrary to previous research, moderate to large correlations were found, both within and between substances and activities. Self-esteem was positively related to exercise but unrelated to the remaining addictions. Several gender differences in addictive tendencies were also revealed: Men scored higher than women on addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, television, and Internet use, but women scored higher on caffeine and chocolate. The results have implications for theories of addiction and suggest new directions for the study of addiction among normally functioning young adults.

Activities of Daily Living↗