Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the most common childhood neurological disorder in the United States, also affects grown women. But girls with ADHD, who tend towards symptoms of inattentiveness, often go undiagnosed until young adulthood. This is because (a) their symptoms are less obvious than the hyperactivity common in ADHD boys, and...
The illicit use of opioids among young adults (18–25) has resulted in an increase of clients needing substance abuse treatment. Treatment programs are struggling to keep up with the influx of these young adults. Traditional models of care have some impact; however, there are not enough treatment centers that can...
Early learning skills, such as executive function (EF), are a key component of healthy development and predict long-term academic success. Yet many children are entering kindergarten without the necessary skills (including EF) that are needed to set them on a successful learning trajectory. Early prekindergarten classrooms that encourage a high...
Self-regulation skills lay the foundation for short- and long-term school success, and strengthening these skills in early childhood can have significant implications for immediate and future life outcomes (e.g., Blair & Diamond, 2008; McClelland, Acock, Piccinin, Rhea, & Stallings, 2013). A large body of literature has investigated how characteristics of...
The purpose of this dissertation was to contribute to the current understanding about identity development in young adults who experience psychosis and schizophrenia. The article in Chapter 2 Using Authentic Identity Theories to Address the Stigmatization of Young People Who Experience Psychosis and Schizophrenia examined the literature on identity development...
An ability to meet the changing demands associated with development
promotes purpose in life, a defining feature of psychological well-being. Midlife
adults consistently report higher purpose in life compared to older adults. However,
less is known about the dynamics of purpose in life in the transition from middle to
older...
Background: Early childhood is filled with incredible growth in all areas of development and offers a critical period for optimal learning (Lerner, 2002). During this critical period both motor skills (Bouffard, Watkinson, Thompson, Causgrove Dunn, & Romanow, 1996; Clark & Metcalfe, 2002; Lubans, Morgan, Cliff, Barnett, & Okely, 2010; Stodden...
Background: The Wave~Ripples for Change: Obesity Prevention in High-School Soccer Players research project is a 5-Y USDA funded project focused on building healthy nutrition, physical activity and life skills for healthy weight maintenance. The intervention includes providing face-to-face sport nutrition, physical activity and life- skills lessons, assessments of body composition,...
Research regarding factors that promote high-quality implementation of school-based prevention programs has increased markedly over the past decade as it has become increasingly recognized that evidence-based programs are often not well implemented. Whole-school interventions may be particularly complex to implement because they are intended to involve all school personnel and...
Shame is a debilitating inner experience elicited by the negative self-appraisal of one's entire self, and is characterized by a deep-seated sense of being flawed, defective, and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging (Brown, 2006). Although significant research has explored self-conscious emotions, including shame, little has been done to examine...