Findings indicate that multiple daily dosing of MPH increases the likelihood of poor adherence, particularly in adolescents, and that poor adherence is associated with impaired maternal/family process. Once-daily administration of MPH is necessary to improve adherence and to decrease the possible exacerbation of tense parent-child relationships caused by poor drug adherence.

This study examined the efficacy and safety of osmotic release oral system methylphenidate (OROS MPH) as compared with immediate-release MPH (IR MPH) in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Taiwan. Sixty-four children with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) ADHD, ages 6-15 years, were randomized to OROS MPH once daily (n = 32) and IR MPH three times daily (n = 32) in an open, randomized, active-controlled equivalent 28-day trial. The main outcome measures included the Conner's Teacher Rating Scale -Revised: Short Form and Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form, and other measures of social adjustment and side effects. Results showed significant reductions in the core ADHD symptoms, which did not differ between the two treatment groups. Compared to the IR MPH group, the OROS MPH group showed a significantly greater slope of reductions in ADHD symptoms and decline in the severity of problems at school, and with peers and parents over time. There was no difference in rates of side effect profile between the two groups. Our findings suggest that OROS MPH is superior over IR MPH in the greater magnitude of improvement over study period without increased side effects in the Chinese population.

Family firms are the backbone of the socialist transition to a market-oriented economy in Laos. Working capital is an important area of finance that has not been widely studied in relation to family firms’ decision-making. We hypothesize that working capital has a positive cross-lagged effect on decision-making. The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 779 Laotian family firms from 2016 to 2017 ( t 1 ) and from 2018 to 2019 ( t 2 ) . The analysis was performed using a two-wave cross-lagged model under structural equation modelling. Our results confirm that working capital (access to finance, cash, debt financing, inventory, growth, and profitability) has a positive cross-lagged effect on decision-making. In addition, the findings also suggest that family firms’ early-debt financing could have a vital influence on decision-making. The practical implications of the results are discussed.

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