Relations
Between CBCL Scores and DSM-IV ADHD Subtypes in an Australian
National Sample
Graetz
et al. (2001) tested relations between CBCL scale scores and
DSM-IV diagnoses of Inattentive, Hyperactive-Impulsive, and
Combined ADHD subtypes in a nationally representative sample
of 3,597 Australian 6- to 17-year-olds. DSM-IV diagnoses were
made from parents' reports on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule
for Children Version IV (DISC-IV). Parents also completed the
CBCL and the 50-item parent version of the Child Health Questionnaire
(CHQ-PF50), which assesses children's quality of life and the
impact of their problems on their families. Children who qualified
for any of the three ADHD subtypes scored significantly higher
on most CBCL problem scales and lower on the CHQ-PF50 Psychosocial
Health scales than did control children who did not qualify
for ADHD diagnoses. In addition, several CBCL scales significantly
discriminated between the three ADHD subtypes as follows: On
both the CBCL Externalizing syndromes and the Externalizing
scale, children with ADHD-Combined diagnoses scored significantly
higher than children with Hyperactive-Impulsive diagnoses, who,
in turn, scored significantly higher than children with Inattentive
diagnoses. Although children with Combined diagnoses also tended
to score high on other problem scales, children with Inattentive
diagnoses scored significantly higher than children with Hyperactive-Impulsive
diagnoses on the Social Problems and Attention Problems syndromes.
This indicates that, although the symptoms defining the ADHD
Inattentive subtype are less disruptive than those defining
the ADHD Hyperactive-Impulsive subtype, the Inattentive symptoms
are accompanied by more problems in social relations and by
more problems from the CBCL Attention Problems syndrome.
Reference:
Graetz, B.W., Sawyer, M.G., Hazell, P.L., Arney, F., & Baghurst,
P. (2001). Validity of DSM-IV subtypes in a nationally representative
sample of Australian children and adolescents. Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40,
1410-1417.
