Evidence for the reliability and preliminary validity of the Adult ADHD Self‐Report Scale v1.1 (ASRS v1.1) Screener in an adolescent community sample

• Published in: International journal of methods in psychiatric research Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. e1751 - n/a
• Main Authors: Green, Jennifer Greif, DeYoung, Gerrit, Wogan, Mary Ellen, Wolf, Erika J., Lane, Kathleen Lynne, Adler, Lenard A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.03.2019; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Child; Female; Humans; Male; Original; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Reproducibility of Results; schools; screener; Self Report; Teenagers; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; adolescents; schools; screener
• ISSN: 1049-8931; 1557-0657; 1557-0657
• DOI: 10.1002/mpr.1751

Objectives There is a need for brief and publicly‐available assessments of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) easily administered in large‐scale survey efforts monitoring symptoms among adolescents. The ADHD Self‐Report Scale v1.1 (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005) Screener, a six‐item measure of ADHD symptoms, is a valid and reliable screening instrument for ADHD among adults. The current study provides initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the ASRS Screener among a community sample of U.S. adolescents. Methods Middle and high school students in grades 6 through 12 (N = 2,472) completed the ASRS Screener, along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 2001) and several questions about school functioning. Results The ASRS Screener demonstrated good internal consistency, with items captured by a single underlying latent variable, which was invariant across subsamples differing by gender. The ASRS Screener scores were associated with the SDQ subscale measuring hyperactivity/inattention (r = 0.58) and significantly less strongly associated with other SDQ subscale scores (r = −0.15–0.41). The ASRS Screener scores were also significantly associated with student‐reported school functioning. Conclusion Findings suggest directions for future research and provide preliminary support for use of the ASRS Screener as a brief tool for identifying symptoms of ADHD among adolescents.