Relationships Between Life Satisfaction, Symptoms Of Adhd, And Associated Outcomes In Middle ...

153 Pages·2015·0.94 MB·English

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USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
2010
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Lisa Paige Bateman
University of South Florida, [email protected]
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Bateman, Lisa Paige, "Relationships Between Life Satisfaction, Symptoms Of Adhd, And Associated
Outcomes In Middle School Students" (2010). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
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Relationships between Life Satisfaction, Symptoms of ADHD, and Associated Outcomes

in Middle School Students

by

Lisa P. Bateman

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Education Specialist
Department of Psychological and Social Foundations
College of Education
University of South Florida

Major Professor: Julia A. Ogg, Ph.D.
Shannon M. Suldo, Ph.D.
Robert Dedrick, Ph.D.

Date of Approval:
August 23, 2011

Keywords: Subjective well-being, quality of life, psychopathology, academic
achievement, early adolescence

Copyright © 2011, Lisa P. Bateman
Acknowledgements

I would like to thank everyone who has assisted and inspired me in the completion of this
thesis project. I am especially grateful to my Major Professor, Dr. Julia Ogg, who
provided invaluable guidance through every step of the process, from the initial
conceptualization of the study through developing conclusions and implications from the
data. She was always willing to meet to discuss the project and to provide feedback on
the countless drafts of this document that I sent to her. I could not have done this without
her, and I am incredibly grateful for her knowledge, patience, and encouragement. I
would also like to thank Dr. Shannon Suldo, whose passion for positive psychology is
contagious and made me excited to research life satisfaction. She also provided valuable
feedback and encouragement during the completion of this project, and I am grateful to
have had the opportunity to work with her. I would also like to thank Dr. Robert Dedrick
for his statistical guidance, without which I would have been lost in the analyses for this
project. I am also grateful to the members of the ADHD research team at USF who
assisted with the development of and data collection for this project. In particular, I
would like to thank my honorary mentor, Sarah Fefer, who has been constantly willing to
provide information and encouragement to me throughout the completion of this project.
Finally, I am incredibly grateful to my family and close friends, who have provided
endless love and support throughout my academic pursuits.
Table of Contents

List of Tables iv
Abstract vi
Chapter I: Introduction 2
Statement of the Problem 2
Life Satisfaction and ADHD 5
Purpose of the Current Study 8
Definition of Key Terms 10
Subjective well-being 10
Life satisfaction 10
Quality of life 10
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 11
Middle school students 11
Moderator 11
Research Questions 11
Importance of the Current Study to School Psychology 12
Contribution to the Literature 13
Chapter II: Review of the Literature 14
Life Satisfaction 14
Variables that Predict Life Satisfaction in the Adolescent Population 16
Demographic factors 16
Internal characteristics 17
Positive daily experiences 18
Life Satisfaction and Psychopathology 21
Life satisfaction and internalizing behavior 21
Life satisfaction and externalizing behavior 22
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Associated Problems 23
Academic domain 26
Social domain 27
Comorbid psychopathology 29
Developmental course 31
Research on Quality of Life in Adolescents with ADHD 34
Parent reports of quality of life for children with ADHD
versus peers without ADHD 35
Parent versus child reports of quality of life associated
with ADHD 36
Children’s reports of quality of life associated with ADHD 37
Research on Life Satisfaction in Adolescents with ADHD 39
Variables Related to Life Satisfaction and ADHD 42
Conclusions 43
Chapter III: Method 46
i
Participants 46
Selection of Participants 49
Students 49
Teachers 51
Measures and Achievement Indicators 52
Student Measures and Achievement Indicators 52
Demographic form 52
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) 53
Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) 53
Children’s Perceptions of Interparental Conflict (CPIC) 54
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) 56
Teacher Measures 57
Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale (VADTRS) 57
Procedures 59
Student Survey 60
Teacher Survey 61
Analyses 61
Descriptive Analysis 62
Preliminary Analyses 62
Research Question 1 63
Research Question 2 63
Research Questions 3-5 64
Ethical Considerations 65
Chapter IV: Results 68
Data Screening 68
Data entry 68
Variable Construction 69
Life satisfaction 69
Interparental conflict 69
Depressive symptoms 70
Inattentive symptoms 70
Hyperactive/impulsive symptoms 70
Academic achievement 71
Screening for Outliers 71
Descriptive Analyses 72
Scale Reliability 72
Correlational Analyses 73
Regression Analyses 75
Research question 1 75
Research question 2 76
Research question 3 81
Research question 4 86
Research question 5 90
Chapter V: Discussion 96
Relationship Between Life Satisfaction and ADHD 96
Interparental Conflict and the Link Between ADHD and
ii
Life Satisfaction 102
Life Satisfaction and the Link Between ADHD and
Academic Achievement 104
Life Satisfaction and the Link Between ADHD and Depression 105
Contributions to the Literature 107
Limitations of the Current Study 108
Implications for School Psychologists 110
Future Directions 112
References 115
Appendices 130
Appendix A: Parent Consent Letter 131
Appendix B: Student Assent Letter 134
Appendix C: Teacher Consent Letter 137
Appendix D: Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher
Rating Scale (VADTRS) 140
Appendix E: Demographic Form 142
Appendix F: Student’s Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) 143
Appendix G: Children’s Perception of Interparental
Conflict (CPIC) 144
Appendix H: Center for Epidemiological Studies
Depression Scale (CES-D) 145
iii
List of Tables

Table 1. Correlations between ADHD symptoms and SWLS 41
scores for males (above the diagonal) and females
(below the diagonal) from Gudjonsson et al. (2009)

Table 2. School Demographic Information 48
Table 3. District Demographic Information 49
Table 4. Characteristics of Participants (N=183) 51

Table 5. Cronbach’s Alpha, Means, Standard Deviations, 73
Ranges, Skewness, & Kurtosis (N =172)

Table 6. Intercorrelations between Continuous Variables (n =172) 75
Table 7. Summary of Regression Analyses for Inattention Symptoms 78
and Parent Conflict as Predictors of LS (n = 172)

Table 8. Summary of Regression Analyses for Hyperactive/Impulsive 81
Symptoms and Parent Conflict as Predictors of LS (n = 172)

Table 9. Summary of Regression Analyses for Inattention Symptoms 83
and LS as Predictors of Reading Achievement (n = 172)

Table 10. Summary of Regression Analyses for Hyperactivity/ 85
Impulsivity Symptoms and LS as Predictors of Reading
Achievement (n = 172)

Table 11. Summary of Regression Analyses for Inattention Symptoms 88
and LS as Predictors of Mathematics Achievement (n = 172)

Table 12. Summary of Regression Analyses for Hyperactive/ 90
Impulsive Symptoms and LS as Predictors of Mathematics
Achievement (n = 172)

Table 13. Summary of Regression Analyses for Inattention Symptoms 92
and LS as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms (n = 172)

iv
Table 14. Summary of Regression Analyses for Hyperactive/ 95
Impulsive Symptoms and LS as Predictors of Depressive
Symptoms (n = 172)

v
Abstract
Given increased evidence related to the importance of fostering life
satisfaction in the overall population (Diener & Diener, 1996), as well as recent
suggestions regarding the importance of increasing positive academic and social
outcomes for youth with ADHD (DuPaul, 2007), it is important to gain a clearer
understanding of how life satisfaction may be related to ADHD symptoms. Although
research has examined the relationship between life satisfaction and externalizing
behavior (Suldo & Huebner, 2004a), research on the relationship between life
satisfaction and ADHD is currently limited. This study examined if levels of ADHD
symptoms predicted reports of life satisfaction in a middle school population (n =
172). Hyperactive/impulsive and inattentive symptoms explained 2.5% of the
variance in the dependent variable, life satisfaction, which is not a statistically
significant amount, F(2, 169) = 2.2, p = .12. Results of this study also demonstrated
that perceived interparental conflict did not moderate the relationship between ADHD
symptoms and life satisfaction. Additionally, results of this study demonstrated that
life satisfaction did not moderate the relationship between inattentive symptoms and
academic achievement in reading, academic achievement in mathematics, and
depressive symptoms. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future
research are discussed.

vi
CHAPTER I: Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Psychological researchers have shifted their focus in recent decades from not only
identifying and reducing symptomology but also emphasizing and promoting overall
well-being (Pavot & Diener, 1993). Researchers have defined well-being in several
ways, including by considering life satisfaction as an indicator. Life satisfaction has been
defined as a “cognitive judgmental process in which individuals assess the quality of their
lives on the basis of their own unique set of criteria” (Pavot & Diener, 1993, p. 164). It is
one of three components of subjective well-being, a term which refers to one’s cognitive
and affective assessment of his or her life (Diener, Oishi, & Lucas, 2009). Life
satisfaction is considered to be more stable than the other two components of subjective
well-being (e.g., positive affect and negative affect; Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999).
High levels of life satisfaction are associated with increased positive outcomes in
various domains. In the academic domain, high levels of life satisfaction are associated
with increased academic self-efficacy (Suldo & Huebner, 2006), higher grade-point
averages (GPAs), and better attitudes towards school (Gilman & Huebner, 2006). In the
social domain, high levels of life satisfaction are associated with better relationships with
one’s parents (Gilman & Huebner, 2006), increased emotional and social self-efficacy
(Suldo & Huebner, 2006), and increased sociability (Diener & Diener, 1996). In terms of
psychological functioning, high levels of life satisfaction are associated with higher self-
esteem and levels of hope (Gilman & Huebner, 2006), better coping skills and increased
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