Date of Award
2027
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology
Department
Psychology
Committee Chair and Members
Kevin Meehan, Chair
Sara Haden
Jennifer Davidtz
Keywords
ADHD, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Childhood interpersonal trauma, Epistemic mistrust, Posttramatic stress, Socioemotional functioning
Abstract
Former research has shown that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has significant negative implications for people’s socioemotional functioning. Additionally, trauma and ADHD have been biologically and bidirectionally connected in the literature. A notable gap exists in the literature regarding how ADHD and trauma interact to affect socioemotional functioning. The following study sought to examine epistemic mistrust as a potential mediating factor between ADHD and socioemotional functioning, when moderated by trauma. Specifically, childhood interpersonal trauma was expected to amplify ADHD’s negative impact on socioemotional functioning, partially explained by epistemic mistrust. Additionally, disclosure of trauma and others’ reactions to disclosure were examined as moderators on this model. In total, 256 self-selected adult participants were recruited online and took self-report measures of ADHD, trauma, epistemic mistrust, socioemotional functioning, and trauma disclosure. They then completed a behavioral task to measure objective ADHD traits. Finally, a subsample of n = 8 adults participated in a follow-up qualitative interview that was rated on a scale of epistemic trust and thematically coded. Results showed that ADHD significantly predicted both mistrust and socioemotional deficits, both directly and indirectly. Qualitative findings supported these results. Though trauma did not seem to influence these findings, exploratory analyses revealed that at low levels of childhood interpersonal trauma, selfreported ADHD symptoms predict behavioral impulsivity, though the interaction is no longer significant at higher levels of trauma.
Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, socioemotional functioning, epistemic mistrust, childhood interpersonal trauma
Recommended Citation
Goldstein, Rina, "The roles of trauma, secrecy, and epistemic mistrust in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder on socioemotional outcomes" (2027). Selected Full-Text Dissertations 2020-. 77.
https://digitalcommons.liu.edu/brooklyn_fulltext_dis/77