Assessing ADHD Through the Multi-Informant Approach: The Contribution of the Conners’ 3 Scales

Abstract

Objective: Symptoms of ADHD need to be present in at least two different settings to suggest a diagnosis, so multi-informant assessment approaches are usually adopted. The Conners’ Rating Scales offer three versions, completed by parents (Conners 3-P), teachers (Conners 3-T), and youth (Conners 3-SR). Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies examining the psychometric properties of the Parent and Teacher versions and the relation between each version of the Conners 3 scales. Method: The present work examined the psychometric properties of the Parent and Teacher scales in terms of the structural validity and reliability of their Content scales in an Italian sample. Moreover, to support the need to administer all Conners 3 scales together and to exclude their potential redundancy, cross-informant agreement between parents, teachers, and children was assessed. Results: Results supported the Conners 3 scales as reliable and valid tools to assess ADHD and provided evidence for their non-redundancy. Conclusion: The non-redundancy of the Conners 3 may promote clinicians to adopt a multi-informant perspective

The Conners 3–short forms: Evaluating the adequacy of brief versions to assess ADHD symptoms and related problems

“…The advantages of the Conners scales have been supported by both studies confirming the excellent psychometric properties of the scales (e.g. Arias Martínez, Arias González, & Gómez Sánchez, 2013; Christiansen et al, 2016; Conners, Sitarenios, Parker, & Epstein, 1998; Izzo, Donati, & Primi, 2018a, 2019; Morales-Hidalgo, Hernández-Martínez, Vera, Voltas, & Canals, 2017) and clinical studies. In fact, research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Conners scales in distinguishing people with ADHD from those with no clinical diagnoses; moreover, the Conners scales have been found to have predictive validity for the development of behavioral problems in adolescence (e.g.…”

“…The psychometric properties of the full-length forms of the Conners 3 scales have been previously tested and confirmed in cultural contexts different from the original one (Christiansen et al, 2016; Izzo et al, 2018a, 2019). Differently, the psychometric properties of the short forms of the Conners 3 have not been tested by any other study but the original one—in both the English version and the Spanish version, which was validated for the Spanish-speaking population of the United States (Conners, 2008).…”

Do Adolescents With ADHD Have a Self-Perception Bias for Their ADHD Symptoms and Impairment?

“…School psychologists rely on teacher-report and parent-report rating scales to assess the social and emotional functioning of children who are referred for assessment of potential attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and often add self-reports for adolescents (Allen & Hanchon, 2013; Pelham et al, 2005). Although commonly-used behavior rating scales such as the Conners Rating Scales (Conners, 2008) and the ASEBA (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) have strong psychometric properties, the correlations between self-, parent-, and teacher-reports are often modest (Achenbach, et al, 1987; Izzo et al, 2019). It is therefore important for school psychologists to gain an understanding of the potential biases inherent in the reports from these different sources.…”

Assessing Video Game Habits and Pathological Behaviour in Children through a New Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Video-Gaming Scale—For Children (VGS-C)

“…Los Reyes et al, 2015;Gizer et al, 2008;Hughes & Gullone, 2010;Hunsley & Mash, 2007;Izzo, Donati, & Primi, 2019), it should be desirable to develop a VGS-C form for parents in order to have the possibility to collect an hetero-evaluation of the children's video-gaming habits, thus having a more comprehensive assessment of the riskiness of this behavior for children.…”