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The Conners' 10‐item scale: findings in a total population of Swedish 10–11‐year‐old children
Author(s) -
Westerlund Joakim,
Ek Ulla,
Holmberg Kirsten,
Näswall Katharina,
Fernell Elisabeth
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2008.01214.x
Subject(s) - normative , scale (ratio) , confirmatory factor analysis , developmental psychology , population , medicine , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , clinical psychology , psychology , structural equation modeling , philosophy , statistics , physics , mathematics , environmental health , epistemology , quantum mechanics
Aim: To present normative data for the Swedish version of the Conners' 10‐item scale, to validate the scale by comparing children with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), to explore the factor structure of this scale and to investigate behavioural characteristics and gender differences among 10‐ to 11‐year‐old children, as rated by parents and teachers respectively. Methods: Parents and teachers rated 509 10‐ to 11‐year‐old children (261 boys and 248 girls) from a population‐based cohort in a Swedish municipality. Results: The Conners' 10‐item scale discriminated very well between children with and without ADHD. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a two‐dimensional structure of the scale with items measuring restless/impulsive behaviour in one factor and items measuring emotional lability in another. An ANOVA revealed that parents and teachers reported different behavioural characteristics in boys as compared to girls. Conclusion: The Conners' 10‐item scale is a valid screening instrument for identification of ADHD. The two subscales can be used separately, in addition to the total score, to get a more detailed picture of the child's behaviour. Parents and teachers pay attention to different aspects of problem behaviour in boys and girls. The less disruptive behaviour of girls needs to be highlighted.