Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Henington, Carlen

Committee Member

Devlin, Sandra

Committee Member

Elder, Anastasia

Committee Member

Doggett, R. Anthony

Committee Member

Young, Scott

Date of Degree

12-10-2005

Original embargo terms

MSU Only Indefinitely

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Major

Educational Psychology

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

College of Education

Department

Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine levels of treatment acceptability associated with three frequently implemented interventions (medication, token economy with response cost, and time-out) for children with characteristics of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An additional purpose was to investigate the influence that the professional affiliation or label (i.e., special education teacher, school psychologist, and pediatrician) of the consultant making a treatment recommendation may have on the acceptability of a proposed treatment for a child displaying characteristics of ADHD. The participants consisted of 63 members of school assistance teams recruited from southwestern school districts. Participants read a case description of a child displaying characteristics of ADHD and a treatment vignette which manipulated the type of treatment recommended and the occupational title of the consultant making the treatment recommendation. Participants then rated the acceptability of the treatments using the Abbreviated Acceptability Rating Profile. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences in treatment acceptability ratings, with medication receiving less acceptable ratings than the other treatments and that the medication treatment was considered less acceptable when recommend by a special education teacher than when recommended by either a school psychologist or a pediatrician. A statistically significant interaction was identified between the consultant recommending the treatment and the type of treatment. This study investigated whether the consultant making a treatment recommendation impacted the level to which the treatment was accepted. This is unique in that the influence of the consultant making a treatment recommendation has not previously been studied in the literature on treatment acceptability. This finding may be useful when considering the frequency in which consultants from different occupations make recommendations. Recommendations for future research in treatment acceptability are discussed.

Download

Share

COinS