title: ADHD Symptoms in Adolescents' Everyday Life: Fluctuations and Symptom Structure Within and Between Individuals.
abstract: Objective:This study investigated whether self-reported ADHD symptoms fluctuate substantially within adolescents from day to day, and examined the underlying symptom factor structure on a within- and between-person level.Method:Adolescents (N= 166) rated their ADHD symptoms over the phone on eight consecutive evenings (total ratings:n= 1,264).Results:ADHD symptoms showed substantial fluctuations within adolescents from day to day, as indicated by within-person standard deviations and intraclass correlation coefficients. Both a two-level factor model with three correlated factors (inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity) and a two-level bifactor model with a general ADHD symptom factor and a specific inattention factor provided acceptable to good accounts of the structure underlying daily ADHD symptom ratings on the between- and the within-person level.Conclusion:The study demonstrates that adolescents' ADHD symptoms fluctuate from day to day and highlights the need for intensive diagnostic processes with repeated symptom assessments and interventions that address symptom fluctuations.
authors.affiliation: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany.|Center for Research on Individual Developmental and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.affiliation: University of Aberdeen, Scotland.|Columbia University, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Gertraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stadler
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Individual Developmental and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany.|German Institute for International Educational Research (DIPF), Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dirk
authors.affiliation: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fiege
authors.affiliation: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany.|Center for Research on Individual Developmental and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gawrilow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D003071:Cognition; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation; D063189:Symptom Assessment
keywords: ADHD; ADHD symptoms; factor structure; intensive longitudinal study