Conners 3–Self-Report Scale: An empirical support to the dimensionality of the content scales

Abstract

The Conners' Rating Scales are one of the most used instruments for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Nonetheless, in the latest edition, the Inattention scale was not statistically supported. This study examined the dimensionality of the Italian version of the Conners 3-Self-Report scale testing both a five-factor structure including Inattention and a four-factor model combining Inattention and Learning Problems. Moreover, the generalizability of the detected structure through measurement invariance was verified. The Italian version of the scale was completed by 971 children (53% males, mean age: 12.76 years) randomly split in a calibration sample ( n = 464) and a validation sample ( n = 507). Confirmatory factor analyses detected a five-factor structure (i.e. Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity, Learning Problems, Defiance/Aggression, and Family Relations), and measurement invariance was confirmed. Findings provided statistical evidence for the Inattention subscale, supporting the Conners 3-Self-Report Scale as effectively aimed to assess the two dimensions of ADHD and its main comorbid difficulties.

The Conners 3–short forms: Evaluating the adequacy of brief versions to assess ADHD symptoms and related problems

“…The advantages of the Conners scales have been supported by both studies confirming the excellent psychometric properties of the scales (e.g. Arias Martínez, Arias González, & Gómez Sánchez, 2013; Christiansen et al, 2016; Conners, Sitarenios, Parker, & Epstein, 1998; Izzo, Donati, & Primi, 2018a, 2019; Morales-Hidalgo, Hernández-Martínez, Vera, Voltas, & Canals, 2017) and clinical studies. In fact, research has demonstrated the effectiveness of the Conners scales in distinguishing people with ADHD from those with no clinical diagnoses; moreover, the Conners scales have been found to have predictive validity for the development of behavioral problems in adolescence (e.g.…”

“…The psychometric properties of the full-length forms of the Conners 3 scales have been previously tested and confirmed in cultural contexts different from the original one (Christiansen et al, 2016; Izzo et al, 2018a, 2019). Differently, the psychometric properties of the short forms of the Conners 3 have not been tested by any other study but the original one—in both the English version and the Spanish version, which was validated for the Spanish-speaking population of the United States (Conners, 2008).…”

Assessing ADHD Through the Multi-Informant Approach: The Contribution of the Conners’ 3 Scales

“…However, in a recent study examining the German version of the Conners 3 scales (Christiansen et al, 2016), CFAs were conducted on all Content scales, including the Inattention scale, with results revealing a good fit and supporting the Inattention scale with psychometric evidence. Moreover, empirical data from a recent Italian study (Izzo et al, 2018) confirmed this structure with the Inattention scale as a separate factor, though analyses were performed only for the Conners 3-SR scale. Thus, the first aim of the present work (Study 1) was to examine the dimensionality of the Conners 3-P and Conners 3-T scales to test whether the original structure could be confirmed and whether there is empirical support for the Inattention scale as a stand-alone factor.…”

“…Given that the Conners 3 Rating Scales are widely used in both clinical and research contexts, the present study aimed at assessing the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Conners 3 scales in their parent and teacher versions to test whether they represented a reliable and valid instrument to assess ADHD in children and youth. In fact, as the psychometric properties of the Conners 3-SR scale were already investigated before (see Izzo, Donati, & Primi, 2018), and that hetero-assessments make it possible to gather information that people filling a self-evaluation may be unaware of, this research examined the psychometric properties of the Conners 3-P and the Conners 3-T scales in terms of the dimensionality of these scales, their reliability, and cross-informant agreement.…”

Correlated Trait–Correlated Method Minus One Analysis of the Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Conners 3 Short Forms

“…The Conners Rating Scales (Conners, 1989, 1997, 2008) that have a history of more than 30 years are used extensively in clinical and research settings for screening and diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid disorders in children and adolescents (Izzo, Donati, & Primi, 2018). The rating scales are currently in its third edition, and are called Conners 3 (C 3; Conners, 2008).…”