Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is marked by deficits in attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The current DSM-IV conceptualisation of AD/HD as comprising of separate, but related, Inattention (IA) and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (H/I) dimensions have been supported in confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) studies. Despite being one of the most extensively studied childhood disorder, there is a lack of research on AD/HD in non-western populations. Research on AD/HD in Asian countries, particularly, is limited. To date, no study has comprehensively investigated the characteristics of AD/HD in a Malaysian sample. The current study had 4 major aims. The first aim of the study was to investigate how the IA and H/I symptoms groups vary by age, gender, and age by gender interaction. The second aim of the study was to obtain prevalence rates of DSM-IV AD/HD and the three subtypes (i.e., Predominantly Inattentive Type, AD/HD-IA; Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive Type, AD/HD-H/I; and Combined Type, AD/HD-C) within this population. This was examined for boys and girls separately, and together. The third aim of the study was to investigate the internal validity of DSM-IV AD/HD using single source confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while the fourth aim of the study was to examine trait, source and error variance of the AD/HD symptoms using the CFA multitrait (IA and H/I) by multisource (parent and teacher) approach (CFA MT-MS). All the CFA and CFA MT-MS analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls and used scores recoded via the binary method, as opposed to the ordinal scoring method. The sample consisted of 934 Malaysian schoolchildren aged 6-12 years (436 boys: mean age 8.86 years; and 498 girls: mean age 9.02 years) [...] There was more source than trait variance for parent rated H/I and teacher rated IA for girls. Unique to the current study is the use of binary as opposed to ordinal data to run the CFA and MTMS analysis. The implications of the findings for the conceptualisation, assessment, treatment, psychometric properties of AD/HD rating scales and the recognition of AD/HD in the Malaysian population are discussed. Suggestions for future research are offered. / Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/266069 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Hafetz, Nina |
| Publisher | University of Ballarat |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Nina Hafetz |
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