Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Adolescents with ADHD partake in risk-taking behavior (RTB), such as risky driving or unsafe sex, more often than their peers. Because RTB is strongly related to risk perception and RTB takes place...Show moreAdolescents with ADHD partake in risk-taking behavior (RTB), such as risky driving or unsafe sex, more often than their peers. Because RTB is strongly related to risk perception and RTB takes place in a group of peers, it is important to gain a better understanding of risk perception in a social context. First, this study investigated whether adolescents with ADHD are more susceptible to 1) peer influence only and 2) peer influence and presence on a behavioral level. Further, we examined the neural responses to these two social manipulations. We examined whether peer attachment acted as a buffer against susceptibility. Finally, we adopted a continuous approach of ADHD and examined the link between inattention symptoms and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms and susceptibility to peer influence and presence. Adolescent boys (ages 13-23) with ADHD (n = 46) and without ADHD (n = 57) performed a risk rating task with a behavioral part and an fMRI-scanner part. The scanner part included highly believable virtual peer influence and peer presence manipulations. For our fMRI analyses we selected regions of interest that are implicated in the social brain (TPJ and dmPFC), the reward processing network (VS, Insula and vmPFC), and the cognitive control network (dlPFC). All adolescents showed equal susceptibility to peer influence only. Similarly, all adolescents showed a higher susceptibility to peer influence and presence. We found no effects on susceptibility of clinical diagnosis, inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms or peer attachment. Our fMRI results showed effects in the TPJ. First, peer influence only elicited less activation in the bilateral TPJ for adolescents with ADHD. Second, activity in the left TPJ elicited by peer influence and presence was stronger for adolescents with weaker peer attachment. Together, these findings indicate that peer influence and presence may partly cause increased RTB in adolescence. However, increased RTB in adolescents with ADHD cannot be explained by increased susceptibility peer influence and presence. These findings provide an opportunity to decrease excessive RTB through increasing resistance to peer influence and presence in interventions for adolescents in general.Show less
