Wilson awarded for outstanding thesis

October 3, 2017

‌The VCU Graduate School has awarded Stephanie Wilson, a doctoral student in the clinical psychology program and Families and Mental Health Research Lab, the 2017 VCU Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award in Social Sciences, Business and Education for her thesis "Predictors of Barriers to Psychosocial Treatment for African American Families of Children with ADHD." Given African American youth with ADHD traditionally have lower rates of treatment compared to nonminority groups, Wilson's study examined factors that predict barriers to treatment for African American families who have children with ADHD. Results of this study showed that impairment in the parent-youth relationship both predicted barriers to treatment and also mediated the relationship between comorbid behavioral problems and barriers to treatment. Overall, this study highlighted how the parent-youth relationship may play a significant role in preventing African American families from engaging in ADHD treatment for their child and that targeting the parent-youth relationship in treatment may be particularly beneficial for African American families who have children with ADHD.