title: The unity and diversity of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in ADHD: evidence for a general factor with separable dimensions.
abstract: To examine the unity and diversity of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom domains of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in a clinical sample of adolescents with ADHD. Parents and adolescents were administered a semi-structured diagnostic interview, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), to assess adolescent ADHD. Data from 201 parent interviews and 189 adolescent interviews were examined. Four potential factor structures for the 18 ADHD symptoms were tested using confirmatory factor analysis: two models with correlated factors and two bifactor models. A bifactor model with two specific factors best accounted for adolescent symptoms, according to both parent and adolescents' reports. Replication of these findings from behavioral rating scales completed for this sample by parents and teachers indicates that the findings are not method- or informant-specific. The results suggest that there is an important unitary component to ADHD symptoms and separable dimensional traits of Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity.
authors: York University, Toronto, Canada. mtoplak@yorku.ca
authors: Maggie E
authors: ME
authors: Toplak
authors: Ashley
authors: A
authors: Pitch
authors: David B
authors: DB
authors: Flora
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: Iwenofu
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Ghelani
authors: Umesh
authors: U
authors: Jain
authors: Rosemary
authors: R
authors: Tannock
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data