title: Parent ratings of ADHD symptoms: differential symptom functioning across Malaysian Malay and Chinese children.
abstract: This study examined differential symptom functioning (DSF) in ADHD symptoms across Malay and Chinese children in Malaysia. Malay (N=571) and Chinese (N=254) parents completed the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale, which lists the DSM-IV ADHD symptoms. DSF was examined using the multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) structural equation modeling procedure. Although DSF was found for a single inattention (IA) symptom and three hyperactivity-impulsivity (HI) symptoms, all these differences had low effect sizes. Controlling for these DSF, Chinese children had higher IA and HI latent factor scores. However the effect sizes were small. Together, these findings suggest adequate support for invariance of the ADHD symptoms across these ethno-cultural groups. The implications of the findings for cross-cultural invariance of the ADHD symptoms are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001. Rapson.Gomez@utas.edu.au
authors.forename: Rapson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Alasdair
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vance
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D010290:Parents; D012720:Severity of Illness Index