The adolescent behavior checklist: Development and initial psychometric properties of a self-report measure for adolescents with ADHD

Abstract

Developed and provided initial psychometric properties on an adolescent, self-report questionnaire for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Adolescent Behavior Checklist (ABC) consists of 44 items that measure ADHD core symptoms and associated difficulties (e.g., conduct problems, academic problems, and social deficits). A total of 909 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 served as the standardization sample. Results indicated that the ABC was internally consistent. Principal components analysis revealed six factors for the ABC: Conduct Problems, Impulsivity/Hyperactivity, Poor Work Habits, Inattention, Emotional Lability, and Social Problems. Significant gender and race differences were obtained for some ABC factor scores, and initial standardization data were established based on this information. Initial convergent and divergent validity of the ABC was supported by the correlations obtained between factor scores and the subscale scores on the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report. Using an additional sample of 81 adolescents, the stability of ABC scores across a 2-week interval was found to be satisfactory. Initial evidence for discriminant validity was established by comparing ABC scores for a sample of adolescents diagnosed with ADHD to the normative sample.