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Parental Etiological Explanations and Longitudinal Medication Use for Youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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Abstract

Due to the need to increase understanding of factors associated with medication usage for youth with ADHD, this study examined parental explanatory etiologies in relationship to psychotropic medication use in a sample of youth who met criteria for ADHD and utilized outpatient specialty mental health services in the previous year. When examined cross-sectionally, medication usage was positively associated with parental explanatory etiologies related to physical causes and negatively associated with those involving sociological causes. Longitudinal analyses did not show a significant effect of Time 1 parental explanatory etiologies on the slope of medication use, suggesting that the relationship between Time 1 parental explanatory etiologies and medication usage remains stable over time for those who have had past year involvement with outpatient specialty mental health services.

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Acknowledgments

This publication was made possible by Grant Numbers U01MH55282, K01MH01767, R01MH071483, R01MH072961, and F31MH082607 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIMH or NIH. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Scott Roesch for his statistical consultation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    May Yeh

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive (0812), La Jolla, CA, 92093-0812, USA

    May Yeh & Gregory A. Aarons

  3. SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    May Yeh, Gregory A. Aarons & Katherine Tsai

  4. Child and Adolescent Services Research Center at Rady’s Children’s Hospital-San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    May Yeh, Gregory A. Aarons, Kristen McCabe, Katherine Tsai & Richard Hough

  5. Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Judy Ho

  6. Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, 800 Washington Street MC 345, Boston, MA, 02111, USA

    Laurel K. Leslie

  7. Department of Psychology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Kristen McCabe

  8. Department of Sociology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Richard Hough

  9. Departments of Psychiatry and of Community and Family Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    Richard Hough

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  1. May Yeh
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  2. Gregory A. Aarons
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  4. Laurel K. Leslie
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  7. Richard Hough
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Correspondence to May Yeh.

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Yeh, M., Aarons, G.A., Ho, J. et al. Parental Etiological Explanations and Longitudinal Medication Use for Youths with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Adm Policy Ment Health 41, 401–409 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0477-5

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