Biomedical subjects

John F Curry

Publications and source records attributed to John F Curry.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Reaction time distribution analysis of neuropsychological performance in an ADHD sample.

Differences in reaction time (RT) variability have been documented between children with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Most previous research has utilized estimates of normal distributions to examine variability. Using a nontraditional approach, the present study evaluated RT distributions on the Conners' Continuous Performance Test in children and adolescents from the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD sample compared to a matched sample of normal controls (n = 65 pairs). The ex-Gaussian curve was used to model RT and RT variability. Children with ADHD demonstrated faster RT associated with the normal portion of the curve and a greater proportion of abnormally slow responses associated with the exponential portion of the curve. These results contradict previous interpretation that children with ADHD have slower than normal responding and demonstrate why slower RT is found when estimates of variability assume normal Gaussian distributions. Further, results of this study suggest that the greater number of abnormally long RTs of children with ADHD reflect attentional lapses on some but not all trials.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2004

Future directions in residential treatment outcome research.

Future outcome research on residential treatment will be influenced positively by major trends in the helping professions. These trends include the transfer of empirically supported interventions into the residential treatment setting, the targeting of specific problems or disorders that burden children and adolescents,and more sophisticated tests of positive and negative outcomes. It is also likely that future research will use recent developments in statistics that permit study of trajectories of change in children or adolescents before, during, and after residential treatment. Continued emphasis must be placed on improving and studying postresidential transitions, comparing residential to less restrictive models of treatment, and qualitative investigations of successful and unsuccessful cases.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Neuropsychology of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a meta-analytic review.

A comprehensive, empirically based review of the published studies addressing neuropsychological performance in adults diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was conducted to identify patterns of performance deficits. Findings from 33 published studies were submitted to a meta-analytic procedure producing sample-size-weighted mean effect sizes across test measures. Results suggest that neuropsychological deficits are expressed in adults with ADHD across multiple domains of functioning, with notable impairments in attention, behavioral inhibition, and memory, whereas normal performance is noted in simple reaction time. Theoretical and developmental considerations are discussed, including the role of behavioral inhibition and working memory impairment. Future directions for research based on these findings are highlighted, including further exploration of specific impairments and an emphasis on particular tests and testing conditions.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Cognitive-behavioral intervention for depressed, substance-abusing adolescents: development and pilot testing.

OBJECTIVES: To develop a cognitive-behavioral treatment for depressed, substance-abusing adolescents, determine its feasibility, and test its association with symptomatic improvement. METHOD: Based on the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral interventions for either adolescent depression or substance abuse, an integrated group and family therapy intervention was developed for adolescents with both problems. The developers treated a group of six adolescents and families, and then trained experienced therapists to deliver the treatment to a second group of seven. Adolescents were 14 to 18 years of age. Measures of depression and substance abuse were collected before, during, and after treatment. RESULTS: High retention in treatment and attendance at sessions supported feasibility. Parent interviews demonstrated significant improvement in adolescent substance abuse, and adolescent measures demonstrated significant improvement in both domains. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated outpatient cognitive-behavioral intervention is feasible and associated with improvement for depressed, substance-abusing adolescents. Controlled efficacy studies are needed. Additional treatment modalities will be required for a proportion of these adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

The impact of perceived racism: psychological symptoms among African American boys.

Examined the relations among perceived racism and externalizing symptoms, internalizing symptoms, hopelessness, and self-concept in African American boys (N = 84). The experience of racism is a complex phenomenon that has been found to have negative psychological outcomes in adult studies of African Americans. There has been a gap in the empirical literature regarding the possible associations between perceived racism and children's psychological well-being. This study is an attempt to address that gap. Results demonstrated that experiences of racism were related to self- and parent-reported externalizing symptoms. Personal experiences of racism were related to self-reported internalizing symptoms, lower self-concept, and higher levels of hopelessness. Potential mediators (e.g., trait anger, hostile attribution bias) were analyzed. Additional analyses indicated that trait anger mediated a number of the observed relations between perceived racism and behavioral symptoms. The results of the study suggest that perceived racism is associated with multiple negative correlates for African American boys.

Adolescent↗