title: Trait and State Variance in Multi-Informant Assessments of ADHD and Academic Impairment in Spanish First-Grade Children.
abstract: We examined the stable trait and variable state components of ADHD-inattention (IN), ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), and academic impairment (AI) dimensions using mothers', fathers', primary and secondary teachers' ratings of children's behavior at home and school. We also examined between-informant agreement with regard to trait and state components.
  
  
  
  Mothers, fathers, primary and secondary teachers rated HI, IN, and AI in N = 758 Spanish first grade children (55% boys) over three measurement occasions across 12 months.
  
  
  
  Latent state-trait analyses revealed that mothers', fathers', and primary teachers' (but not secondary teachers') ratings reflected more trait variance for ADHD-HI (M = 73%), ADHD-IN (M = 74%), and AI (M = 76%) than occasion-specific variance (M = 27%, M = 26%, and M = 24%, respectively). Fathers' ratings shared a meaningful level of trait variance with mothers' ratings of ADHD-HI and ADHD-IN (range 78% to 82%), whereas primary and secondary teachers' ratings shared lower levels of trait variance with mothers' ratings (range 41% to 63%). The trait components of fathers', primary teachers', and secondary teachers' ratings of AI showed high levels of convergence with mothers' ratings (88%, 70%, and 59% respectively).
  
  
  
  ADHD symptom reports reflect both trait (48 to 86%) and state (14 to 53%) variance components. The lower amount of shared variability between home and school suggests the setting-specificity of trait and state components of ADHD symptoms. Our findings indicate that ADHD symptom reports may reflect context-specific traits, suggesting the importance of differentiating and targeting ADHD behaviors across different settings.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Utah State University.
authors.forename: Kaylee
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Litson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Utah State University.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geiser
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Washington State University.
authors.forename: G Leonard
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , University of the Balearic Islands.
authors.forename: Mateu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Servera
mesh_terms: D000075022:Academic Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000639:trends; D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005220:Fathers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D000070777:School Teachers / Q000523:psychology; D012574:Schools / Q000639:trends; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*