Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, version IV scale - parent form

• Published in: International journal of methods in psychiatric research Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 35 - 44
• Main Authors: Gau, Susan Shur-Fen, Shang, Chi-Yung, Liu, Shih-Kai, Lin, Chien-Ho, Swanson, James M., Liu, Yu-Chih, Tu, Chang-Ling
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.03.2008
• Subjects: ADHD; Adolescent; Asian Continental Ancestry Group; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - ethnology; Child; Chinese version; Female; Humans; Male; parent report; Parents; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; reliability; SNAP-IV; Surveys and Questionnaires; validity
• ISSN: 1049-8931; 1557-0657
• DOI: 10.1002/mpr.237

This study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of parent ratings on the Chinese version of the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV scale (SNAP‐IV) in a school‐based sample of 3534 students in grades 1 to 8 from two cities and two suburbs in Taiwan and 189 children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (aged 6 to 15) consecutively recruited from a medical center in Taipei. Parents completed the Chinese versions of the SNAP‐IV, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and Child Behavior Checklist. The Chinese SNAP‐IV demonstrated similar three factor structure (Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity, and Oppositional) as its English version, and satisfactory test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation = 0.59∼0.72), internal consistency (alpha = 0.88∼0.90), concurrent validity (Pearson correlations = 0.56∼0.72), and discriminant validity. Boys scored higher than girls across the eight school grade levels. The SNAP‐IV clearly distinguished children with ADHD from school‐based participants. Comorbidity with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder predicted higher SNAP‐IV scores among children with ADHD. Our findings suggest that the Chinese SNAP‐IV is a reliable and valid instrument for rating ADHD‐related symptoms in both clinical and community settings in Taiwan. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.