The Utility of Self-Report Measures and the Continuous Performance Test in the Diagnosis of ADHD in Adults

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary V. Solanto ◽  
Kenneth Etefia ◽  
David J. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Differential Diagnosis ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Adult Adhd ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Continuous Performance Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Axis I

ABSTRACTBackground: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) occurs in as many as 4% of adults yet it is often not recognized in clinical settings because the presenting symptoms may resemble those seen in other disorders or because symptoms may be masked by commonly comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression.Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic utility of instruments commonly used in the assessment of adults presenting with symptoms of ADHD.Methods: We reviewed several widely used self-report and laboratory measures and empirically examined the utility of the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale for Adults (Brown ADD Scale) and the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT) in differentially identifying adults with ADHD and those with other Axis I disorders.Results:Ninety-three adults who self-referred to the ADHD program for adults at a university medical center participated in the study. Of these, 44 had ADHD combined subtype (ADHD-CB), and 26 had ADHD, predominantly inattentive subtype (ADHD-IA). Thirty-three non-ADHD adults diagnosed with Axis I mood or anxiety disorders comprised an “Other Psychiatric” group. Rates of comorbid disorders, including substance abuse, in the ADHD groups were typical of those reported in the adult ADHD literature. Data on the Brown ADD Scale and on the CPT were available for subsets of 61 and 46 participants, respectively. Analyses showed that the ADHD-CB, ADHD-IA, and Other Psychiatric groups all received mean scores in the clinical range on the Brown ADD Scale, with a trend toward even higher elevations in the two ADHD groups. Among 12 CPT variables assessed for the three groups, the mean scores on only two variables for the ADHD-IA group were clinically elevated. Neither the Brown ADD Scale nor CPT scores evinced sufficient sensitivity and specificity to qualify them to assist in differential diagnosis of ADHD vis-a-vis other, predominantly internalizing, psychiatric disorders.Conclusion: The results indicate a need for closer examination of executive and adaptive functioning in adults with ADHD compared with those with internalizing disorders in order to identify features that could assist in differential diagnosis.

Factor Analysis of the Continuous Performance Test and Parent-Teacher Reports of Attention Deficit Disorder

1999 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 935-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Raggio ◽  
Robert L. Rhodes ◽  
Janice D. Whitten
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Continuous Performance Test ◽  
Teacher Rating ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Parent Rating ◽  
Teacher Reports

The relationships between a computerized measure of attention deficit disorder and scores from two commonly used parent-teacher reports were investigated. A factor analysis of the raw omission and commission scores provided by the Continuous Performance Test and Conners' Parent Rating Scale and the ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher Rating Scale indicated that for a sample of 54 children the Continuous Performance Test was most closely associated with measures of impulsivity and hyperactivity provided by the Conners' rating. This finding was congruent with the use of the Continuous Performance Test in the evaluation as a measure of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and suggestive of a positive and significant relation between this computerized measure of behavior and parents' perception of behavior. Little association was detected between scores on the teachers' scale and omission and commission scores.

scholarly journals Attention Patterns in Children with Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1093-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gil Zalsman ◽  
Orat Pumeranz ◽  
Gabriel Peretz ◽  
David H. Ben-Dor ◽  
Sharon Dekel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Continuous Performance Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Equal Degree ◽  
Before And After

The objective of this study was to differentiate the attention patterns associated with attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity using continuous performance test (CPT). The diagnoses were based on the DSM-III, III-R, and IV criteria and of the 39 children who participated in the study, 14 had attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) and 11 had attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADDWO), while 14 normal children served as a control group. Attention patterns were examined according to the performance of subjects on the CPT and parental scores on the ADHD Rating Scale, the Child Attention Profile, and the Conners Rating Scale. CPT performances were assessed before and after administration of 10 mg methylphenidate. We found as hypothesized that the CPT differentiated between the ADDH and ADDWO groups. However, contrary to our expectations, the ADDH children made more omission errors than the ADDWO children; they also showed more hyperactivity and impulsivity. The performance of both groups improved to an equal degree after the administration of methylphenidate. It is conluded that different subtypes of the attention deficit disorders are characterized by different attention profiles and that methylphenidate improves scores on test of continuous performance.

Self-Report vs. Computerized Measures of Impulsivity as a Correlate of Suicidal Behavior

Crisis ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Netta Horesh
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Behavior ◽  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Adolescent Suicide ◽  
Continuous Performance Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Suicide Attempters ◽  
Computerized Measures ◽  
Adolescent Suicide Attempters

Objectives: To compare the use of a self-report form of impulsivity versus a computerized test of impulsivity in the assessment of suicidal adolescent psychiatric inpatients. Methods: Sixty consecutive admissions to an adolescent in patient unit were examined. The severity of suicidal behavior was measured with the Childhood Suicide Potential Scale (CSPS), and impulse control was measured with the self report Plutchik Impulse Control Scale (ICS) and with the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), a continuous performance test (CPT). The TOVA is used to diagnose adolescents with attention deficit disorder. Results: There was a significant but low correlation between the two measures of impulsivity. Only the TOVA commission and omission errors differentiated between adolescent suicide attempters and nonattempters. Conclusions: Computerized measures of impulsivity may be a useful way to measure impulsivity in adolescent suicide attempters. Impulsivity appears to play a small role only in nondepressed suicidal adolescents, especially boys.

Self-Report and Objective Measures of ADHD-Related Behaviors in Parents of Preschool Children at Risk for ADHD

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 639-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Curko Kera ◽  
David J. Marks ◽  
Olga G. Berwid ◽  
Amita Santra ◽  
Jeffrey M. Halperin
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Attention Deficit Disorder ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Significant Group

ABSTRACTObjective: Few studies have used a combination of objective and self-report measures to examine neuropsychological and behavioral functioning in parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined attention and inhibitory control in the parents of preschool children who were rated as “at risk” for developing ADHD as compared with parents of controls.Methods:Preschool children (N=53) were divided into at risk for ADHD and control groups based on parent and teacher ratings of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ADHD symptoms. One parent of each child was administered an identical pairs Continuous Performance Test (CPTIP), a Go/No-Go task, and the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale for Adults.Results: Parents of preschoolers at risk for ADHD showed a pattern of responding on measures of vigilance characterized by slower reaction times and increased commission errors as compared with parents of controls. There were no significant group differences on self-report measures on the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale for Adults.Conclusion: Parents of preschoolers at risk for ADHD appear to exhibit cognitive processing deficits that may not be evident using self-report measures. Further research is needed to more clearly identify the specific nature of these neuropsychological deficits and to determine whether they have a negative impact on their children.

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