Madison Aitken

Assistant Professor

Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto

Clinician Investigator, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a Clinician Investigator and Psychologist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada.

My research focuses on understanding transdiagnostic factors in the development and treatment of child and adolescent psychopathology. As a clinician investigator in the Cundill Centre for Child and Youth Depression at CAMH, I am currently examining: 1) general psychopathology factors and their relation to treatment outcomes for youth with depression; and 2) parent-child factors and how these can be leveraged to enhance treatment outcomes.

Interests

Child and adolescent mental health
Transdiagnostic psychopathology factors
Comorbidity
Parent-child/adolescent relationships

Education

PhD in School and Clinical Child Psychology

University of Toronto
MA in School and Clinical Child Psychology

University of Toronto
MA in Child Study and Education

University of Toronto

Selected Publications

Self-esteem, symptom severity, and treatment response in adolescents with internalizing problems

Hazel Ngo, Doug VanderLaan, Madison Aitken

Journal of Affective Disorders, 273(1), 183-191, 2020

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Toward precision therapeutics: general and specific factors differentiate symptom change in depressed adolescents

We examined the influence of three types of psychotherapy on general and specific aspects of psychopathology in adolescents with depression. General factor and specific conduct problems factor scores decrease across treatment and follow-up, whereas melancholic and depressive cognitions decrease only in the initial 6 weeks. Longitudinal courses of general and specific factors are similar across therapies, although conduct problems decrease more post-therapy after brief psychosocial intervention than CBT.

Madison Aitken, J.D. Haltigan, Peter Szatmari, Bernadka Dubicka, Peter Fonagy, Raphael Kelvin, Nick Midgley, Shirley Reynolds, Paul Wilkinson, & Ian Goodyer

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, advance online publication, 2020

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Clinical Utility of the CBCL Dysregulation Profile in Children with Disruptive Behavior

We examined whether scores on the CBCL Dysregulation Profile are meaningful indicators of clinical severity in children with disruptive behaviour. We found that the Dysregulation Profile identifies impaired, symptomatic children with disruptive behavior but situation & informant factors may influence the Dysregulation Profile and associated impairment.

Madison Aitken, Marco Battaglia, Cecilia Marino, Nivethine Mahendran, & Brendan Andrade

Journal of Affective Disorders, advance online publication, 2019

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Distilling heterogeneity among children with disruptive behavior: associations between symptom patterns and social functioning

This study identified profiles of reactive aggression, proactive aggression, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and prosocial behavior in a sample of children with DB. Associations with social functioning (social interaction, social status) were then examined, along with sex differences in profile membership.

Madison Aitken, Shanelle Henry, & Brendan Andrade

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46(6), 1241–1252, 2018

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“P” and “DP”: examining symptom-level bifactor models of psychopathology in clinically referred children and adolescents

This study examined cross-informant evidence for a general factor of psychopathology (“P”) and a narrower, clinically oriented dysregulation general factor based on the Dysregulation Profile (“DP”) in a large clinical sample of children and adolescents. We also compared the magnitude of P and DP general factor associations with self-harm and suicidal ideation as an indicator of criterion validity.

J.D. Haltigan, Madison Aitken, Tracey Skilling, Joanna Henderson, Lisa Hawke, Marco Battaglia, John Strauss, Peter Szatmari, & Brendan Andrade

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 57(6), 384-396, 2018

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Effect of comorbid psychopathology and conduct problem severity on response to a multicomponent intervention for childhood disruptive behavior

This study examined the effects of comorbid ADHD symptoms, internalizing psychopathology, Callous–Unemotional (CU) Traits, and conduct problem severity on children’s response to an evidence-based psychosocial intervention. Children with DBD and comorbid symptoms appear to benefit from a multi-component intervention, but those with ADHD symptoms may require additional support to address social and behavioral challenges.

Aitken, M., Waxman, J. A., MacDonald, K., & Andrade, B. F.

Journal of Child Psychiatry and Human Development, advance online publication, 2018

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Other Publications

More Publications

Brendan Andrade, Darren Courtney, Stephanie Duda, Madison Aitken, Stephanie Craig, & Peter Szatmari (2019). A Systematic Review and Evaluation of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Children and Youth with Disruptive Behavior: Rigor of Development and Recommendations for Use. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, advance online publication.

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Madison Aitken, Rhonda Martinussen, & Rosemary Tannock (2017). Incremental validity of teacher and parent symptom and impairment ratings when screening for mental health difficulties. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 45, 4, 827-837.

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Madison Aitken, Rhonda Martinussen, Ruth Childs, & Rosemary Tannock (2016). Profiles of co-occurring difficulties identified through school-based screening. Journal of Attention Disorders, advance online publication.

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Aitken, M., VanderLaan, D.P., Wasserman, L., Stojanovski, S., & Zucker, K.J. (2016). Self-harm and suicidality in children referred for gender dysphoria. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(6), 513-520.

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Rhonda Martinussen, Julia Ferrari, Madison Aitken, Dale Willows (2015). Pre-service teachers’ knowledge of phonemic awareness: relationship to perceived knowledge, self-efficacy beliefs, and exposure to a multimedia-enhanced lecture. Annals of Dyslexia, 65(3), 142-158.

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Madison Aitken, Rhonda Martinussen, Richard Wolfe, Rosemary Tannock (2015). Factor structure of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a Canadian elementary school sample. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 40(3), 155-165.

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Teaching

I currently supervise clinical psychology trainees, thesis students, and postdoctoral fellows at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

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Contact

madison.aitken@mail.utoronto.ca
80 Workman Way, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada