Date of Submission

2009

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Robert A. DiTomasso, Ph.D., ABPP

First Advisor

James Brad Hale, Ph.D., Chairperson

Second Advisor

George McCloskey, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Charles E. Daly, Ph.D.

Abstract

Child maltreatment is a severe stressor which is associated with a variety of adverse outcomes, including attention, learning, and behavior problems. Attention problems are common in maltreated children, with rates of ADHD in samples of abused and neglected children consistently higher than those found in the general population or in clinical samples of children without abuse histories. Despite the association between ADHD and maltreatment, attention problems in maltreated children remain poorly characterized and not well understood. In an attempt to better delineate the nature of attention problems in maltreated children, this study examined the effects of age, gender, type of maltreatment, and previous referral history on attention problems in a sample of maltreated children (N = 307) using a cross-sectional between subjects design. The analyses consisted of multiple factorial ANOVAs that revealed main effects for maltreatment type, age and number of referrals, and a maltreatment type by gender interaction. Implications and limitations are presented.

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