title: Measurement and structural invariance of parent ratings of ADHD and ODD symptoms across gender for American and Malaysian children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement (configural, metric, scalar, and residual) and structural (factor variance, factor covariance, and factor means) invariance of parent ratings of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - inattention (ADHD-IN), ADHD - hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD-HI), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms as described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) across boys and girls. In an American pediatric sample (N = 1,015) and a Malaysian elementary school-age sample (N = 928), there was strong support for configural, metric, scalar, residual, factor variance, and covariance invariance across gender within each sample. Both American and Malaysian boys had significantly higher scores on the ADHD-IN and ADHD-HI factor means than did girls, whereas only in the American sample did boys score significantly higher on the ODD factor than did girls. The implications of the results for the study of gender, ethnic, and cultural differences associated with ADHD and ODD are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4820, USA. glburns@wsu.edu
authors.forename: G Leonard
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: Rapson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hafetz
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology