Measuring ADHD in Girls

Abstract

ADHD is often underdiagnosed or untreated in girls as they display internalizing behaviour and inattentive symptoms, which often get overlooked. Even the qualitative research and diagnostic criteria are biased toward the symptoms presented by males. The current study aimed to address these gaps in current diagnostic practice and create a new subscale called “Measuring ADHD in Girls” that mainly focuses on the symptoms presented by girls to ensure they receive a proper diagnosis. A pool of 30 items was created based on existing scales and literature to assess the symptoms of ADHD in girls. Factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure. Reliability of the scale was assessed using inter-item correlation and item-total correlation. We hypothesized that this scale would measure six factors that are commonly displayed by girls with ADHD; however, upon further analysis, a nine-factor analysis provided a better reliability instead of six factors, as it had a TLI of 0.93 and RMSEA <= 0.08, indicating that the scale is a good fit. The nine factor structures were distraction, emotional and psychological symptoms, emotionality, time management, social difficulties, inattention, lack of focus, hyperactivity, and difficulties with task-oriented coping.