Date of Award

Spring 2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Program

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Gerdes, Alyson C.

Second Advisor

Saunders, Stephen

Third Advisor

VanHecke, Amy V.

Abstract

The current study sought to develop and validate a measure to assess functional impairment related to ADHD (i.e., difficulties with academic achievement, social competence, and familial relationships) for Latino families, as research suggests that functional impairment may be a more culturally-universal construct than symptomatology. Researchers integrated quantitative and qualitative information obtained from a community sample of 74 Latino parents in order to develop the ADHD-FX scale. The overall ADHD-FX scale, as well as each subscale (i.e., school, peer, and home) demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, diagnostic utility, and cultural properties with 62 Latino parents of school-aged children. Thus, results suggest that the ADHD-FX scale can be used as a culturally- appropriate diagnostic tool, as well as a method to conceptualize cases, guide culturally-appropriate intervention, and measure clinically meaningful treatment gains in the domains of academic, social, and familial impairment often experienced by children with ADHD and their families. Utilization of culturally appropriate methodologies (such as the ADHD-FX scale) by researchers and clinicians alike may contribute to a thorough understanding of how diverse families conceptualize, recognize, and respond to intervention for functional impairment related to childhood psychopathology and subsequently may be instrumental in appeasing mental health disparities for diverse children in our country.

ADHD_FX_SCALE_Appendix_FINAL.PDF (349 kB)
ADHD Appendix

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