Date of Award

6-1996

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Kevin Armstrong

Second Advisor

Dr. Patricia Meinhold

Third Advisor

Dr. Wayne Fuqua

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

The adolescent population has been identified as the age group most quickly increasing in HIV transmission. Specific subpopulations of adolescents may be more at risk than others due to their unique situations. Characteristics commonly discussed in the literature describing individuals with attention deficits and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) are similar to those that put individuals at risk for HIV infection (i.e., impulsivity, overactivity, drug use). This anonymous survey study investigated several hypotheses suggesting that ADHD adolescents may be more at risk than controls for HIV infection. Undergraduates at a midwestern university completed the sexual behavior survey. Eight male subjects reported a past or current diagnosis of an ADHD. A random sample (n = 8) from 113 subjects composed a comparison group of male subjects. Response information for the remainder sample is provided. Visual and nonparametric analyses indicated a trend for the ADHD group to endorse (a) more Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (4th edition; APA, 1994) symptoms for ADHD, (b) more DSM IV Hyperactivity/lmpulsivity items, and (c) more overall symptoms based on DSM IV, DSM III-R, and DSM Ill combined criteria for ADHD, than the control subjects. Visual analyses indicated that the ADHD subjects generally had less sexual experiences than the control sample.

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