Summary on a Correlational Study between the relationship of ADHD and Eating Disorders - Essay Example

Psychology Summary on the Severity of ADHD and Eating Disorder Symptoms: A Correlational Study Background: The article defines explores various clinical features shared by Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and eating disorders (ED). In fact, this discussion is based on research seeking to identify ambiguity in the interrelationship between ADHD and ED, which is considered sparse and ambiguous. The background section of the article identifies three fundamental aspect of attention ADHD.

In this case, these features include hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity, which is depicted by people suffering from eating disorders (ED). The article identifies crucial features depicted by bulimia nervosa (BN) that entail splurge eating and eradication behaviours that are considered impulsive. Furthermore, these impulsive behaviours are depicted through increased individuals with ED compared to health controls. The article indicates that people with anorexia nervosa (AN) or BN depicted a substantial level of attention impairments depicted through testing of their neuropsychology compared to healthy controls.

This section indicates that excessive exercise that is typical in people with AN show a level of restless or hyperactive behaviours (Stulz, Hepp, Gachter, Martin-Soelch, Spindler and Milos, 1). Methods: The research focuses on identifying the correlation between severity associated by ADHD and crucial features of this condition. Data collection technique involved in this research was formulation of three questionnaires that included Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and ADHD self-rating questionnaire; in fact, this questionnaire involved evaluation of the level of ED symptoms severity.

The other data collection technique applied in this research involved structured interview that focused on patient suffering from Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa; in fact, this interview had thirty-two participants, who were women with ED (Stulz, et. al, 2). Measures: Examination of participants was conducted based on standards of clinical interviews and self-report questioners that were considered valid. Experts developed a rating system for data gathered through interviews regarding Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa.

In fact, this rating was employed for relevant evaluation of specific and general psychopathology of ED, thereby offering a measure of ED symptoms severity. The other evaluation was focused on questionnaire that was applied as an instrument for diagnosis among Adults suffering from ADHD (Stulz, et. al, 3). Statistical analyses: this analysis focused on the relationship between the degree of ADHD and severity of certain ED symptoms, which were identified through a correlation of the associations between the degree of severity of ADHD core features and the severity Pearson’s product-moment, however, ED symptoms were presented by one participant; thus, there was no calculation of these correlations.

In fact, similar samples were applied in Bonferroni corrected alpha levels to control type one error in the process of conducting multiple tests (Stulz, et. al, 3). Results: Association between ADHD and ED symptoms severity was of no statistical relevance, however, there was an exception of statistical importance and counterintuitive relationship between impulsive and refraining from consuming foods with high fat content. On the other hand, numerous ED patients were identified to be suffering from sub-syndromal ADHD.

However, these patients were not diagnosed with ADHD through application of stringent ADHD-SR research criteria. Moreover, there was a 29 percent increase in the proportion of participants having comorbid ADHD, through application of stern clinical criteria. Lastly, there was another analysis that focused on certain ED subtypes in the samples involved in the research. Therefore, this analysis did not depict any relationship between symptoms of ADHD and ED, through control of inflated type one error caused by multiple testing (Stulz, et. al, 4). Discussion: There were no ADHD symptoms identified in this study that are associated with ED symptoms, and Nonetheless, other samples depicted a sub-syndromal ADHD, through this was not associated with severity of inattention or severity of hyperactivity, which is related to any ED symptoms severity.

Therefore, the research identified trivial correlations between severity of ED and ADHD, which were observed through association of counterintuitive (Stulz, et. al, 4). Conclusion: The research used small sample, and despite this data gathered and analyzed was sufficient to make conclusion that crucial feature of ADHD such as impulsivity that is increased among patients suffering from ED, however, severity does not make a significant role in certain symptoms of ED. Therefore, the research indicates that the frequency of ADHD among individuals suffering from ED has a high level of complexity concerning specific level of symptoms and feature.

Nonetheless, the article concludes by indicating that further research is needed in order to explain the relationship between severity of ADHD and ED symptoms. Works Cited Niklaus Stulz, Urs Hepp, Celine Gachter, Chantal Martin-Soelch, Anja Spindler and Gabriella Milos. The severity of ADHD and eating disorder symptoms: a correlational study. BMC Psychiatry 2013, 13:44. Web. 23 May 2013