Childhood and Adolescent ADD

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses attention deficit disorder, or ADD, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and states that they are increasingly frequent problems occurring among today's youth. The paper then discusses how individuals with ADD or ADHD face elevated risks of drug and alcohol abuse because of not only their behavioral problems, but also the physical and psychological conditions associated with the attention disorders themselves. In addition, the paper describes the aspects of ADD and ADHDH that promote conflict and enhance the situations that can lead to substance abuse.

From the Paper:

"Interestingly, the various profiles associated with attention deficit disorders seem each in its own way to produce the same result of increased risk of substance abuse in adolescence and adulthood. Those diagnosed with ADHD-IA are characterized largely by the sluggish processing of information, a behavioral and cognitive realty that leads directly to academic problems and difficulties with peers. In contrast, those diagnosed with ADHD-HI and ADHD-C will make careless mistakes, impulsively break rules, or do other things which may bring them into direct conflict with authority figures and peers. Each of these difficulties can be seen as a potential for future substance abuse because each one in some way relates to the idea of excess stress, or possible feelings of helplessness or persecution."

Sample of Sources Used:

• G. Molina, Brooke S., Bradley H. Smith, and William E. Pelham. "Factor Structure and Criterion
• Validity of Secondary School Teacher Ratings of ADHD and ODD [1]." Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 29.1 (2001): 71.
• Giancola, Peter R., and Andrew M. Parker. "A Six-Year Prospective Study of Pathways toward Drug Use in Adolescent Boys with and without a Family History of a Substance Use Disorder." Journal of Studies on Alcohol 62.2 (2001): 166.
• Herrick, Susan C. "Cold Comfort: Mothers, Professionals, and Attention Deficit Disorder." Journal of Comparative Family Studies 36.4 (2005): 673+.
• Nation, Maury, and Craig Anne Heflinger. "Risk Factors for Serious Alcohol and Drug Use: The Role of Psychosocial Variables in Predicting the Frequency of Substance Use among Adolescents." American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 32.3 (2006): 415+.

More papers on Childhood and Adolescent ADD:

• Research Paper # 54295 : "Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Conduct Problems"
• Research Paper # 128471 : "Child and Adolescent Psychology"
• Essay # 71508 : "Erik Erikson's "Childhood and Society"

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