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 Appendix