Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Graduate Department of Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Twenty-Five percent of college students receiving disability services are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Psycho-stimulants are often the treatment of choice because these medications have a quick and specific effect on attention and concentration. However, they have limited impact on skills related to executive functioning including organization, planning and project management. The potential for abuse is another problem associated with stimulant use in the college population. Beyond what is known about psychostimulants, little research has been done to develop effective, non-pharmacological interventions for young adults with ADHD. Behavior Therapy has been shown to be one promising adjunctive treatment to central nervous system medication. An emerging adjunctive treatment in health psychology is the use of smartphone applications to manage symptoms and/or increase compliance. At the beginning of 2012, the amount of smartphones in use equaled feature phones and the amount of applications available for download succeeds 500,000. Now more than ever, treatment intervention delivered via smartphone application is a possibility. While past research has focused on the treatment of ADHD through the use of psycho-stimulants and behavioral interventions, this research evaluated the treatment efficacy of a time/goal management smartphone application grounded in evidence-based behavioral therapy. A time/goal smartphone application was used to treat college-age students diagnosed with ADHD. Participants used the smartphone application, TimeManager, for three weeks. Results indicated no significant improvement on pre/post measures assessing symptoms, quality of life, and behaviors associated with academic success. However, results of exploratory analysis were more compelling, showing that time spent in general goal-directed activities (academic and non-academic) predicted engagement in specific behaviors associated with academic success. Supplemental analyses also revealed an unexpected nega

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