The validity of ADHD behavioral rating scales across ethnic groups.
Item
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Title
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The validity of ADHD behavioral rating scales across ethnic groups.
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Identifier
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AAI3232013
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identifier
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3232013
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Creator
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Kera, Elizabeth Ann Curko.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Jeffrey M. Halperin
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Date
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2006
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Behavioral | Psychology, Developmental | Psychology, Psychometrics | Black Studies | Hispanic American Studies
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Abstract
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Objective. Behavioral rating scales are commonly used to assess symptomatology related to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, parent and teacher ratings vary considerably as a function of ethnicity. Thus, it is unclear whether there is differential validity of behavioral rating scales across ethnic groups or whether there are real differences in the behavior of children of different ethnicities. This study used objective laboratory measures to validate parent- and teacher-rated ADHD symptoms as assessed by the ADHD-IV Rating Scale in four different ethnicities: European American, African American, Asian, and Hispanic. It was hypothesized that ethnic groups would differ on subjective ratings, but not on objective measures. Methods. Participants were European American (N=50), African American (N=13), Asian (N=13), and Hispanic (N=10) preschoolers who were rated as either having a high or low number of symptoms by parent and teacher report. Total number of errors on a children's continuous performance task and solid-state actigraph data were used to validate subjective ratings of ADHD symptoms. Results. Teachers rated African American children significantly higher than European American children (p<.01). A similar trend was found to for parent ratings between those two groups (p=.056). Significant correlations were found for parent and teacher agreement of ADHD symptomatology in the European American, Asian, and Hispanic group; however, poor agreement was found for the African American group. The Hispanic group demonstrated the best agreement between subjective and objective measures, while the European American group demonstrated adequate validity. However, agreement of subjective and objective measures was virtually non-existent in the African American and Asian groups. Conclusions. Although findings indicate generally adequate validity of ADHD behavioral rating scales in Hispanic and European American children, the ratings do not appear to be valid for African American and Asian children. Thus, both parent and teacher rating scales should be interpreted with caution when used in these groups.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
