Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder often diagnosed in childhood with symptom presentation extending well into adulthood. Despite extensive empirical support acknowledging the lifelong presence of this disorder, ADHD in adulthood is sometimes perceived as less legitimate than childhood presentations, leading to interpretations that trivialize its academic and functional impact. In college or higher education environments, peer perceptions may shape the extent to which ADHD is regarded as a legitimate and enduring disability, potentially affecting one’s disability identity and willingness to seek accommodations or academic support. The present study utilizes a quasi-experimental design comparing (expected N= 100) undergraduate TCU students with and without ADHD to examine how perceived peer attitudes and knowledge toward ADHD relate to students’ feelings about their diagnosis, perceived stigma, and willingness to seek accommodations. In this study, students with ADHD complete self-report measures assessing perceived disability visibility and stigma on campus, while students without ADHD complete ADHD knowledge scales, evaluated behavioral vignettes to assess recognition of ADHD-related impairment, and reported attitudes toward accommodations and medication. We expect that lower ADHD knowledge will be associated with more negative interpretations of ADHD-related behaviors. We further predict that students with ADHD will report experiences consistent with perceived stigma in higher education settings compared to students without ADHD. These findings will help inform future efforts to improve peer understanding of ADHD and create collegiate academic environments where students feel comfortable seeking accommodations and support.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been empirically linked to a range of negative mental health outcomes, including increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, further research is needed to better understand how parental warmth and support can serve as a protective factor against ADHD symptom presentation after a child faces trauma. This study investigates the protective impact of parental warmth and support on ACEs and ADHD risk. Using a cross-sectional, observational design, participants (expected N=100) in this study will complete self-report questionnaires assessing demographics, ACE exposure, parental warmth/support, ADHD symptoms, and ADHD diagnostic history. Responses will be analyzed quantitatively to examine two research questions: (1) whether ACE exposure predicts ADHD symptoms and diagnosis, and (2) whether parental warmth/support buffers this relationship. We predict that ACE exposure will predict ADHD symptoms and diagnosis and that parental warmth/support will buffer this relationship. By identifying protective factors that reduce ADHD risk following trauma exposure, this research has important clinical implications. As findings may provide evidence-based guidance for clinicians, educators, and caregivers supporting children who have experienced adversity, promoting resilient developmental trajectories despite early trauma exposure.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical trait in law enforcement due to the association it has to resilience, stress management, as well as effective job performance. Prior research suggests that early influences of parental attachment can affect a person's emotional development, although there is a lack of research exploring whether attachment anxiety predicts EI among law enforcement officers. Attachment anxiety refers to an attachment style or pattern that is rooted within fear of abandonment and a strong desire for emotional intimacy. This study examined whether parental attachment anxiety predicts emotional intelligence within a sample of law enforcement officers. It was predicted that anxious attachment would strongly predict an individual's EI within this population because of how integral parental attachment experiences shape how someone manages, understands, and experiences their emotions. The participants included in this study consisted of 108 law enforcement officers across rank, years in service, gender, and age. This sample of law enforcement officers were asked to complete a survey via Qualtrics, which was distributed via email with a link, which personnel within the workplace with little to no seniority to counteract any potential for coercion due to the nature of law enforcement hierarchical system. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographic variables, a correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence as well as parental attachment anxiety, and a simple linear regression was then used to explore whether attachment anxiety served as a significant predictor of emotional intelligence. The results indicated a significant, negative correlation between attachment anxiety and total EI scores, which suggests that higher attachment anxiety was associated with lower emotional intelligence in officers. The results suggest that anxious attachment could be associated with a lower total emotional intelligence score among law enforcement officers. These results may help to guide future research on the predictions that early parental attachment patterns have on emotional intelligence later in life, thus influencing trauma-informed policing strategies and future changes to training programs to aid in this.

As global populations age, equitable representation of older adults in digital technologies has become a psychological and ethical concern. AI increasingly shapes perceptions of social roles, yet may reinforce ageist stereotypes through biased training data (Stypińska, 2022). Developmental psychology emphasizes that aging involves growth and adaptability rather than decline (Donizzetti et al., 2024), yet technologies often position youth as the default. This study investigates how popular AI systems portray age across common social identities (e.g., leader, doctor, genius).
Five AI tools were examined: three text-based (ChatGPT, Gemini, Snapchat My AI) and two image-generating (Meta AI, Leonardo AI). Consistent prompts were provided across tools, with follow-up questions asked when age was not volunteered. Responses were coded into five categories: Child (0–12), Teen (13–17), Young Adult (18–35), Middle-Aged Adult (36–59), and Older Adult (60+). Across 36 responses, most individuals were categorized as young adults (33%) or middle-aged adults (36%). Only one response (3%) depicted an older adult alone, and five (14%) included older adults solely as secondary family figures. No AI tool portrayed older adults as leaders, doctors, or geniuses. Additionally, 69% of responses required follow-up questioning to determine age, suggesting AI tools rarely volunteer this information.
These findings indicate that generative AI defaults to younger and middle-aged adults, rarely representing older individuals in roles of competence or authority. This reflects and potentially reinforces societal ageism. Future research should examine interventions to diversify AI training data and explore how age-related bias shapes user perceptions of aging.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities and differences in reciprocal social communication abilities (APA, 2013; CDC, 2023). Research has indicated that children’s autistic symptoms have been associated with increases in parenting stress and coparenting conflict (Chan & Leung, 2020). Autistic children’s externalizing behaviors have a significant impact on the relationship satisfaction of parents (Sim et al., 2016). Mothers and fathers of autistic children reported higher severity of their marital conflicts compared to parents of non-autistic children (Hartley et al., 2017). Past research has indicated that power dynamics of couples have been associated with lower levels of martial satisfaction (Lennon et al., 2012). However, there is no existing research on the impact of autistic children’s symptoms on power dynamics of parents with autistic children. Thus, the overall goal of the current study was to examine the associations between autism symptom severity and parent relationship quality in parents of autistic children. An additional aim of the study was to examine whether differences in relationship quality between mothers and fathers occur.
Participants included 111 parents of autistic children who completed a Zoom study examining couple interactions. Couples answered a series of questionnaires related to relationship satisfaction, couple conflict, and power dynamics. The current study used the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; Constantino, 2021), Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI; Funk & Rogge, 2007), Conflict and Problem-Solving scale (CPS; Kerig, 1996), and Relationship Power Inventory (RPI; Farrell et al., 2015).
A series of linear regression models were conducted to examine whether autism symptom severity predicts relationship quality in parents of autistic children (i.e., power dynamics, relationship satisfaction, and couple conflict). Separate models were conducted for each parent. There was a significant positive association between autism symptom severity and father’s perceived power (b = .03, SE = .01, t = 2.84, p < .005). All other results for mothers and fathers were non-significant (ps ≥.066).
The significant finding of autism symptom severity predicting father’s perceived power may indicate that fathers may feel responsible for being the head of the household. Thus, they may feel a sense of power related to being responsible for their child. Non-significant results for mothers may be due to their perceived role as being primary caregiver. Mothers may not experience a change in their relationship quality since they spend more time with their autistic child and thus enduring varying levels of autism symptom severity. Strengths of this study include responses from both mothers and fathers and participant diversity in geographic location, age, and ethnicity. A limitation to this study is the use of self-reported measures which could lead to response bias. In the future, researchers should examine whether a third variable may confer or buffer the researched associations. In addition, future researchers should use observational measures rather than self-reported measures to reduce response bias. Results of the current study suggest that fathers may benefit from tailored interventions aimed at power dynamics between partners. In addition, although couples counseling is important, mothers of autistic children may not necessarily need the additional support.