Effectiveness of a Tailored Occupational Therapy Intervention for Women With ADHD

NCT ID: NCT03203928

Last Updated: 2018-07-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 23 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2017-09-15
• Study Completion Date: 2018-01-10

Brief Summary

Although woman are diagnosed with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at a 1:3 ratio with men, recent research suggests that woman may experience the same levels of adult ADHD as men but are underdiagnosed because symptoms may be less severe and/or mistaken for anxiety and depression. Women with ADHD typically experience problems in managing worker, student, spousal, and parenting roles dues to disorganization, poor time management, difficulty regulating internal and external stressors, and difficulty maintaining daily schedules and routines. Intervention effectiveness research has largely focused on pharmacological treatment of ADHD symptoms; however, while such pharmacological treatment tends to enhance concentration and reduce motor restlessness, it does not address the skills needed to successfully carry out daily life roles and activities dependent upon time management, prioritization of tasks, and regulation of emotional responses within the home, school/work, and community environments. In this study, the investigators aim to determine whether a 7-week tailored occupational therapy intervention addressing organization, time management, stress management, and sensory regulation in the home, school/work, and community environments can increase satisfaction in desired daily life activities, and reduce ADHD symptoms and stress levels in women with ADHD.

Detailed Description

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is believed to be neurologically based and characterized by enduring attentional problems, motor restlessness, and cognitive and motor impulsivity that impact one's ability to function optimally in daily life activities. ADHD is commonly diagnosed in childhood at a prevalence rate of 11% and a male to female ratio of 3:1. The prevalence of adult ADHD varies from 4 to 6% and it is estimated that two-thirds of adult ADHD disorders are extensions of childhood ADHD. Researchers have suggested that the male to female prevalence ratio is inaccurate and that females experience ADHD at similar levels to males but are underdiagnosed. While boys with ADHD are often identified by their teachers because of motor impulsivity and inattention, girls with ADHD who may experience attentional problems and impulsivity without significant hyperactivity, may fail to be identified by teachers as needing evaluation and treatment. Some studies have found that female children and adolescents who experience the ADHD symptoms of inattention, disorganization, poor time management, and distractibility are more likely to be misdiagnosed with depression and anxiety. When depression and anxiety occur in children and adolescents with undiagnosed ADHD symptoms, they may result from the inability to manage ADHD symptoms as they impact functional performance in the home, school, and community.

Much of the research exploring ADHD has been devoted to children and adolescents. The research examining adult ADHD has thus far largely attempted to describe the phenomenon of adult ADHD. Research investigating intervention effectiveness for adult ADHD has primarily focused on pharmacological treatment. The small body of research examining non-pharmacological treatment has found moderate effectiveness for pharmacological intervention combined with cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation.

Missing from this body of literature is research specifically examining interventions for women with ADHD, who present symptoms that are both overlapping with and unique from their male counterparts.

Studies have found that women with ADHD tend to have difficulty maintaining and succeeding in employment, school, and parenting and spousal roles. The ability to organize and implement tasks associated with each role, follow daily schedules and routines needed to support desired roles, prioritize and manage tasks in a timely manner, and regulate internal and external stressors to maintain consistent emotional responses may be difficult for with women with ADHD.

In this study, the investigators aim to provide a 7-week tailored intervention for women with ADHD who have difficulty carrying out student, worker, spousal, and parenting roles due to poor time management, organization of their physical environments, management of internal and external stressors, and regulation of internal and external stimulation.

This intervention effectiveness study will use randomization and control. Twenty-four women who self-report diagnoses of ADHD will be recruited to participate and randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=12) or control group (n=12). The intervention group will receive the 6-week intervention; the control group will not receive intervention (bit will receive an organization toolkit at study end).

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Occupational Therapy for Women with ADHD

7-week tailored intervention for women with ADHD who have difficulty carrying out student, worker, spousal, and parenting roles due to poor time management, organization of their physical environments, management of internal and external stressors, and regulation of internal and external stimulation. Implementation of organizational, time management, stress management, and sensory regulation strategies for the home, school/work, and community environments.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Occupational Therapy Intervention for Women with ADHD

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The intervention will run for 7 weeks and consist of the following 1-hour sessions. Each intervention session will be facilitated by two CUMC occupational therapy students in each participant's home environment (or another environment of the participant's choosing such as the work or school environment).

Implementation of organizational, time management, stress management, and sensory regulation strategies for the home, school/work, and community environments.

Control

No treatment provided.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Occupational Therapy Intervention for Women with ADHD

The intervention will run for 7 weeks and consist of the following 1-hour sessions. Each intervention session will be facilitated by two CUMC occupational therapy students in each participant's home environment (or another environment of the participant's choosing such as the work or school environment).

Implementation of organizational, time management, stress management, and sensory regulation strategies for the home, school/work, and community environments.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Females aged 21-55 years
• English-speaking
• Self-reported ADHD

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe co-morbid condition such as an eating disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorder, or substance use disorder

• Minimum Eligible Age: 21 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Columbia University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Sharon Gutman

Professor of rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Sharon Gutman, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Columbia University

Locations

Columbia University Medical Center

New York, New York, United States

Countries

United States

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mentaldisorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Other Identifiers

AAAR4416

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id