Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorder Symptoms
Abstract
Summary: Rating scales are commonly used to measure the symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD). While these scales have positive psychometric properties, the scales share a potential weakness - the use of vague or subjective rating procedures to measure symptom occurrence (e. g., never, occasionally, often, and very often). Rating procedures based on frequency counts for a specific time interval (e. g., never, once, twice, once per month, once per week, once per day, more than once per day) are less subjective and provide a conceptually better assessment procedure for these symptoms. Such a frequency count procedure was used to obtain parent ratings on the ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms in a normative (nonclinical) sample of 3,500 children and adolescents. Although the current study does not provide a direct comparison of the two types of rating procedures, the results suggest that the frequency count procedure provides a potentially more useful way to measure these symptoms. The implications of the results are noted for the construction of rating scales to measure the ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms.
References
References
Angold, A. Costello, E.J. (1996). Toward establishing an empirical basis for the diagnosis of oppositional defiant disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 1205– 1212Barkley, R.A. (1997). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In E.J. Mash & L.G. Terdal (Eds.), Assessment of childhood disorders (3rd ed., pp. 71-129). New York: GuilfordBurns, G.L. Patterson, D.R. (1990). Parent report of conduct problem behaviors in a stratified random sample of children and adolescents: New standardization data on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 2, 391– 397Burns, G.L. Walsh, J.A. Owen, S.M. Snell, J. (1997). Internal validity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and overt conduct disorder symptoms in young children: Implications from teacher ratings for a dimensional approach to symptom validity. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 26, 266– 275Burns, G.L. Walsh, J.A. Patterson, D.R. Holte, C.S. Sommers-Flanagan, R. Parker, C.M. (1997). Internal validity of the disruptive behavior disorder symptoms: Implications from parent ratings for a dimensional approach to symptom validity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 307– 319Conners, C.K. Sitarenios, G. Parker, J.D.A. Epstein, J.N. (1998a). Revision and restandardization of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R): Factor structure, reliability, and criterion validity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 279– 291Conners, C.K. Sitarenios, G. Parker, J.D.A. Epstein, J.N. (1998b). The Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R): Factor structure, reliability, and criterion validity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 257– 268DuPaul, G.J. Anastopoulos, A.D. Power, T.J. Reid, R. McGoey, K.E. Ikeda, M.J. (1998). Parent ratings of ADHD symptoms: Factor structure, normative data, and psychometric properties. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 20, 83– 102DuPaul, G.J. Power, T.J. Anastopoulos, A.D. Reid, R. McGoey, K.E. Ikeda, M.J. (1997). Teacher ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms: Factor structure and normative data. Psychological Assessment, 9, 436– 444McMahon, R.J. Estes, A.M. (1997). Conduct problems. In E.J. Mash & L.G. Terdal (Eds.), Assessment of childhood disorders (3rd ed., pp. 130-193). New York: GuilfordMoxey, L.M. Sanford, A.J. (1992). Context effects and the communicative functions of quantifiers: Implications for their use in attitude research. In N. Schwarz & S. Sudman (Eds.), Context effects in social and psychological research (pp. 279-296). New York: SpringerMiller, L.S. Klein, R.G. Piacentini, J. Abikoff, H. Shah, M.R. Samoilov, A. Guardino, M. (1995). The New York Teacher Rating Scale for disruptive and antisocial behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 359– 370Pelham, W.E. Gnagy, E.M. Greenslade, K.E. Milich, R. (1992). Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 210– 218Pepper, S.C. (1981). Problems in the quantification of frequency expression. In D.W. Fiske (Ed.), Problems with language imprecision: New directions for methodology of social and behavior science (Vol. 9, pp. 25-41). San Francisco: Jossey-BassSchwarz, N. (1999). How the questions shape the answers. American Psychologist, 54, 93– 105Skansgaard, E.P. Burns, G.L. (1998). Comparison of ADHD Combined and Predominantly Inattention Types: Correspondence between teacher ratings of direct observations of inattentive, hyperactivity/impulsivity, slow cognitive tempo, oppositional defiant, and overt conduct disorder symptoms. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 20, 1– 14Teegarden, L.A. Burns, G.L. (1999). 12-month stability of ADHD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and Conduct Disorder symptoms in kindergarten through fifth grade children based on a single information source: Usefulness of teacher ratings for the creation and study of the ADHD subtypes. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 21, 53– 70Waldman, I.D. Lilienfeld, S.O. Lahey, B.B. (1995). Toward construct validity in the childhood disruptive behavior disorders: Classification and diagnosis in DSM-IV and beyond. In T.H. Ollendick & R.J. Prinz (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (Vol. 119, pp. 323-363). New York: PlenumWolraich, M.L. Feurer, I.D. Hannah, J.N. Baumgaertel, A. Pinnock, T.Y. (1998). Obtaining systematic teacher reports of disruptive behavior disorders utilizing DSM-IV. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 141– 152
