Measurement invariance of maternal ratings of ADHD symptoms across clinic referred children’s with and without ADHD

Abstract

The study examined the measurement invariance (configural, metric, scalar, and error variances) and factor mean scores equivalencies of a modified version of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale (SWAN-M) across ratings provided by mothers of clinic-referred children and adolescents, diagnosed with (N = 666) and without (N = 202) ADHD. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of these ratings provided support for the bi-factor model of ADHD [orthogonal general and specific factors for inattention (IA) and hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) symptoms]. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the bi-factor model supported full measurement invariance. Findings also showed that for latent mean scores, the ADHD group had higher scores than the non-ADHD group for the ADHD general and IA specific factors. The findings indicate that observed scores (based on maternal ratings of the SWAN-M) are comparable, as they have the same measurement properties. The theoretical, psychometric and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the self-report version of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale in a sample of Hungarian adolescents and young adults

“…These findings converge with the results of previous studies exploring the structure of ADHD symptoms in different age groups and across different measures ( 40 , 52 , 68 ) and are in line with the findings of the single study on the SWAN self-report ( 38 ). On the other hand, diverging interpretations of similar findings have been formulated by different researchers.…”

“…In studies on the parent- and teacher-report versions, exploratory factor analysis resulted in a two-factor structure (inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) in different samples ( 20 , 31 ). In studies using confirmatory factor analysis ( 31 , 35 , 51 , 52 ), bifactor models were reported to have a better fit than non-hierarchical models; however, similar to studies with other measures, the results suggested a strong and reliable general ADHD factor but mostly weak or unreliable specific factors. A single study under peer review ( 38 ) reported similar results for the new self-report version of the SWAN.…”

Ontario COVID-19 and Kids Mental Health Study: a study protocol for the longitudinal prospective evaluation of the impact of emergency measures on child and adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Psychometric properties are comparable between clinically-referred children with and without an ADHD diagnosis. 89 The Toronto Obsessive Compulsive Scale (TOCS) 90 is a 21-item measure of obsessive-compulsive symptoms on a 7-point Likert scale (3=far more than average; −3=far less than average). It has both self-report and parent-report versions with higher scores indicating higher reports of OCD symptoms.…”

Factor structure, measurement invariance, and scoring practices of the strengths and weaknesses of ADHD–symptoms and normal behavior.

“…; Morin et al, 2016). This is called measurement invariance and has been addressed for the SWAN, with the bifactor model, showing invariance over time (Gomez et al, 2020; Gomez, Vance, & Stavropoulos, 2018), age (Normand et al, 2012), and clinical status (Gomez et al, 2019).…”