Evidence for the reliability and preliminary validity of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale v1.1 (ASRS v1.1) Screener in an adolescent community sample.

Abstract

There is a need for brief and publicly-available assessments of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) easily administered in large-scale survey efforts monitoring symptoms among adolescents. The ADHD Self-Report Scale v1.1 (ASRS; Kessler et al., 2005) Screener, a six-item measure of ADHD symptoms, is a valid and reliable screening instrument for ADHD among adults. The current study provides initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the ASRS Screener among a community sample of U.S. adolescents. Middle and high school students in grades 6 through 12 (N=2,472) completed the ASRS Screener, along with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 2001) and several questions about school functioning. The ASRS Screener demonstrated good internal consistency, with items captured by a single underlying latent variable, which was invariant across subsamples differing by gender. The ASRS Screener scores were associated with the SDQ subscale measuring hyperactivity/inattention (r=0.58) and significantly less strongly associated with other SDQ subscale scores (r=-0.15-0.41). The ASRS Screener scores were also significantly associated with student-reported school functioning. Findings suggest directions for future research and provide preliminary support for use of the ASRS Screener as a brief tool for identifying symptoms of ADHD among adolescents.