The impact of mentoring adolescents with ADHD on life satisfaction in adulthood

Citation

Harrison, Kimberly B. (2015). The impact of mentoring adolescents with ADHD on life satisfaction in adulthood.

Abstract

Clinicians, patients, and parents often seek non-medication treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), both stand-alone and adjunct to pharmacological interventions. Mentoring is a readily available, low- or no- cost intervention that might provide support to adolescents with and without ADHD. Mentoring can provide long-term benefits for persons with and without ADHD. Associations between mentoring in adolescence, ADHD, and life satisfaction in adulthood were examined in a sample of 1,353 participants from a national longitudinal study (Add Health). Life satisfaction was comprised of variables measuring belief in ability to change, relationship satisfaction, job satisfaction, and recent levels of happiness. Results of a MANCOVA showed no statistically significant interaction between the variables. Covariates of race, gender, family income, and age had significant impact on the DVs. With the effects of covariates removed, the interaction of mentoring and ADHD on the composite set of DVs was not significant, F (4,1353) = 1.40, p = .231, multivariate η2 = .004. There was, however, a main effect of ADHD on the composite set of DVs, F (4,1353) = 10.79, p < .001, partial η2 = .03. The effect of mentoring alone on the composite set of DVs was not significant [F (4,1353) = 1.77, p = .131, partial η2 = .005], but mentoring did have a positive correlation with the factor measuring belief in ability to change. Further, persons with ADHD were shown to have more difficulty in all areas of life satisfaction. Although results were minimally significant in some areas, some implications which might be used in clinical practice are noted. Results indicate that mentoring can be an effective tool which reaches beyond adolescence to engender a perspective that change is possible. Because persons with ADHD have less of this belief than their non-ADHD counterparts, they might benefit from incorporating mentoring into a comprehensive treatment plan.

URL

http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1712665565?accountid=14244 http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQuest+Dissertations+%26+Theses+Global&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft.genre=dissertations+%26+theses&rft.jtitle=&rft.atitle=&rft.au=Harrison%2C+Kimberly+B.&rft.aulast=Harrison&rft.aufirst=Kimberly&rft.date=2015-01-01&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.spage=&rft.isbn=9781321985368&rft.btitle=&rft.title=The+impact+of+mentoring+adolescents+with+ADHD+on+life+satisfaction+in+adulthood&rft.issn=&rft_id=info:doi/

Keyword(s)

Psychology Health and environmental sciences Add health Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Life satisfaction Mentor Mental health Behavioral psychology Cognitive psychology 0347:Mental health 0384:Behavioral psychology 0633:Cognitive psychology

Notes

Reference Type

Thesis/Dissertation

Author(s)

Harrison, Kimberly B.

Series Author(s)

Hawkins, Raymond C.

Year Published

2015

Volume Number

3718632

Publisher

Fielding Graduate University

City of Publication

Ann Arbor

ISSN/ISBN

9781321985368

DOI