Current Research Projects
Evaluating Baseline Differences on Physical Health of College Students with ADHD
Dr. Cynthia Hartung & Dr. Derek Smith
The objective of this research is to document and report on the health characteristics of college students with ADHD (e.g., body composition, muscular strength, sleep quality). We are interested in determining whether college students with ADHD are less healthy than college students without ADHD.
Dr. Cynthia Hartung & Dr. Derek Smith
The objective of this research is to document and report on the health characteristics of college students with ADHD (e.g., body composition, muscular strength, sleep quality). We are interested in determining whether college students with ADHD are less healthy than college students without ADHD.
Examining the Acute Effects of Exercise on ADHD, Cognition, and Mood
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Smith
The objective of this study is to evaluate the acute, or immediate, effects of sprint interval training (SIT) on objective measures of executive functioning and mood in college students with ADHD. Preliminary results are promising with a manuscript in progress. Eventually, we hope to examine the chronic effects of exercise on ADHD symptoms as well as compare the efficacy of exercise to stimulant medication. We are interested in determining whether exercise might be an effective alternative or augmentative treatment to stimulant medication.
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Smith
The objective of this study is to evaluate the acute, or immediate, effects of sprint interval training (SIT) on objective measures of executive functioning and mood in college students with ADHD. Preliminary results are promising with a manuscript in progress. Eventually, we hope to examine the chronic effects of exercise on ADHD symptoms as well as compare the efficacy of exercise to stimulant medication. We are interested in determining whether exercise might be an effective alternative or augmentative treatment to stimulant medication.
Examining the Effects of Prescription Stimulant Medication on Cognition and Mood in College Students with and without ADHD
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Alison Looby
The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of stimulant medication (e.g., Adderall) on executive functioning, ADHD symptoms, and mood in college students with ADHD and typical college students on executive functioning, ADHD symptoms, and mood. We hope that these results will improve our understanding of how stimulants impact college students with ADHD and discourage non-prescription stimulant misuse among students without a stimulant prescription.
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Alison Looby
The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of stimulant medication (e.g., Adderall) on executive functioning, ADHD symptoms, and mood in college students with ADHD and typical college students on executive functioning, ADHD symptoms, and mood. We hope that these results will improve our understanding of how stimulants impact college students with ADHD and discourage non-prescription stimulant misuse among students without a stimulant prescription.
Organizational, Time Management, and Planning Skills Treatment for ADHD
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Will Canu
Every fall, the UW Psychology Clinic offers a group therapy opportunity for college students with ADHD. The treatment includes the following: (a) psychoeducation; (b) organization, time management and planning skills (OTMP); (c) study skills. The clients attend the group therapy sessions weekly for six weeks, while attending three mandatory individual sessions with their assigned therapist. Clients may choose to schedule additional individual sessions, when needed. The objective of this line of research is to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment program for college students with ADHD.
See Hartung et al. (2020), LaCount et al. (2018), and LaCount et al. (2015) on the publications page for more information.
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Will Canu
Every fall, the UW Psychology Clinic offers a group therapy opportunity for college students with ADHD. The treatment includes the following: (a) psychoeducation; (b) organization, time management and planning skills (OTMP); (c) study skills. The clients attend the group therapy sessions weekly for six weeks, while attending three mandatory individual sessions with their assigned therapist. Clients may choose to schedule additional individual sessions, when needed. The objective of this line of research is to evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment program for college students with ADHD.
See Hartung et al. (2020), LaCount et al. (2018), and LaCount et al. (2015) on the publications page for more information.
Riding for Focus in Middle School Students (https://outridebike.org/ridingforfocus)
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Smith, & Dr. Tristan Wallhead
Outride (formerly The Specialized Foundation) is a non-profit organization aimed at improving the health of youth through the use of cycling programs. Outride’s interests revolve around using cycling programs to improve social, physical, and cognitive health of youth. Outride is currently funding two research studies in our lab:
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Smith, & Dr. Tristan Wallhead
Outride (formerly The Specialized Foundation) is a non-profit organization aimed at improving the health of youth through the use of cycling programs. Outride’s interests revolve around using cycling programs to improve social, physical, and cognitive health of youth. Outride is currently funding two research studies in our lab:
- Study 1: The Impact of Riding for Focus in Physical Education on Life Skills Development and Participation in Extracurricular Cycling Opportunities in Middle School Students
- The purpose of this study is to use the trans-contextual model of motivation (Hagger et al, 2003) to examine the effects of the Riding for Focus program in physical education on 7th grade students’ motivation to participate in extracurricular cycling opportunities
- Study 2: Acute Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) via Cycling on Executive Functioning (EF) in Middle School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- The purpose of this study is to examine the acute effects of HIIT on EF in middle school students with and without ADHD. A goal of the study is to determine whether exercise could be used as an additional or alternative treatment option for students with ADHD.
Characteristics of College Students with and without ADHD (Sona studies)
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Canu, Dr. Looby, Dr. Elizabeth Lefler, Dr. Kate Flory, & Dr. Erik Willcutt
Our lab participates in a large, multisite online survey study that is conducted annually using the SONA research system. The objectives of this project include: (a) Examining appropriate diagnostic criteria for ADHD in emerging adults (18-25 years old), particularly focusing on the changes in symptom endorsement based on the DSM-IV versus the DSM-5; (b) examining ADHD-related impairment in college students and other characteristics commonly co-occurring in those with ADHD (e.g., executive functioning deficits, sluggish cognitive tempo, problems with depression and anxiety); (c) analyzing the relation between ADHD symptomatology and impairment with health behaviors (e.g., substance use, physical exercise, obesity, nutrient intake, sleep functioning, video game use, gambling); (d) analyzing the role of parental and family support for college students with and without ADHD
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Canu, Dr. Looby, Dr. Elizabeth Lefler, Dr. Kate Flory, & Dr. Erik Willcutt
Our lab participates in a large, multisite online survey study that is conducted annually using the SONA research system. The objectives of this project include: (a) Examining appropriate diagnostic criteria for ADHD in emerging adults (18-25 years old), particularly focusing on the changes in symptom endorsement based on the DSM-IV versus the DSM-5; (b) examining ADHD-related impairment in college students and other characteristics commonly co-occurring in those with ADHD (e.g., executive functioning deficits, sluggish cognitive tempo, problems with depression and anxiety); (c) analyzing the relation between ADHD symptomatology and impairment with health behaviors (e.g., substance use, physical exercise, obesity, nutrient intake, sleep functioning, video game use, gambling); (d) analyzing the role of parental and family support for college students with and without ADHD
Characteristics of Adults with and without ADHD (MTurk studies)
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Christopher Shelton, & Dr. Anne Stevens
Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing marketplace operated by Amazon that allows individuals to complete surveys for pay. Chris Shelton collected data for his dissertation via MTurkers. We were able to use his participants who endorsed a previous diagnosis of ADHD for several follow-up studies. These studies include examining ADHD symptom stability cross-sectionally in individuals 18-70 years old, educational and occupational attainment in adults with ADHD, late onset ADHD (i.e., examining age of symptom onset and age of diagnosis), and information on constructs related to participant sex/gender/sexual orientation (e.g., prevalence rates of transgender individuals), among others.
During Fall 2020, Tamara Abu-Ramadan will be using MTurk to collect data for her thesis. Tamara’s thesis will focus on collecting information about the acceptability of exercise as a potential intervention for emerging adults with ADHD. In addition to collecting data for Tamara’s thesis, MTurk will be used for a sex and gender study, along with a late onset ADHD study. We are hoping to collect data from thousands of individuals with diversity in sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. Our planned sex and gender study will focus on identifying differences in individuals across sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Our planned late onset study will aim to determine whether differences in symptom severity and impairment emerge between the four onset patterns (childhood-onset, late-identified, adolescent-onset, and adult-onset) of ADHD. We will also examine whether differences emerge across sex and gender in these groups.
Dr. Hartung, Dr. Christopher Shelton, & Dr. Anne Stevens
Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing marketplace operated by Amazon that allows individuals to complete surveys for pay. Chris Shelton collected data for his dissertation via MTurkers. We were able to use his participants who endorsed a previous diagnosis of ADHD for several follow-up studies. These studies include examining ADHD symptom stability cross-sectionally in individuals 18-70 years old, educational and occupational attainment in adults with ADHD, late onset ADHD (i.e., examining age of symptom onset and age of diagnosis), and information on constructs related to participant sex/gender/sexual orientation (e.g., prevalence rates of transgender individuals), among others.
During Fall 2020, Tamara Abu-Ramadan will be using MTurk to collect data for her thesis. Tamara’s thesis will focus on collecting information about the acceptability of exercise as a potential intervention for emerging adults with ADHD. In addition to collecting data for Tamara’s thesis, MTurk will be used for a sex and gender study, along with a late onset ADHD study. We are hoping to collect data from thousands of individuals with diversity in sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. Our planned sex and gender study will focus on identifying differences in individuals across sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Our planned late onset study will aim to determine whether differences in symptom severity and impairment emerge between the four onset patterns (childhood-onset, late-identified, adolescent-onset, and adult-onset) of ADHD. We will also examine whether differences emerge across sex and gender in these groups.
Sex and Gender in Psychopathology
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Lefler
In addition to writing two reviews on this topic (Hartung & Widiger, 1998; Hartung & Lefler, 2019), Dr. Hartung has an ongoing interest in studying sex and gender constructs in psychopathology. We emphasize sex and gender differences in our research studies by adhering to the following guidelines outlined by Hartung and Lefler (2019): (a) be inclusive of both/all sex/genders and describe samples clearly, (b) ask accurate questions regarding sex/gender constructs, and (c) present and analyze data by sex/gender. An ongoing goal of the lab is to ask questions about sex and gender in a more inclusive manner. Our lab is committed to attempting to examine differences in sex and gender, along with race and ethnicity in all of our studies. We have worked on developing a more comprehensive and inclusive demographics form. We believe that factors such as sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity are often not analyzed in studies, and we have a goal of emphasizing the importance of examining these factors in our studies.
Dr. Hartung & Dr. Lefler
In addition to writing two reviews on this topic (Hartung & Widiger, 1998; Hartung & Lefler, 2019), Dr. Hartung has an ongoing interest in studying sex and gender constructs in psychopathology. We emphasize sex and gender differences in our research studies by adhering to the following guidelines outlined by Hartung and Lefler (2019): (a) be inclusive of both/all sex/genders and describe samples clearly, (b) ask accurate questions regarding sex/gender constructs, and (c) present and analyze data by sex/gender. An ongoing goal of the lab is to ask questions about sex and gender in a more inclusive manner. Our lab is committed to attempting to examine differences in sex and gender, along with race and ethnicity in all of our studies. We have worked on developing a more comprehensive and inclusive demographics form. We believe that factors such as sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity are often not analyzed in studies, and we have a goal of emphasizing the importance of examining these factors in our studies.