Teacher Ratings of DSM-III-R Symptoms for the Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Prevalence, Factor Analyses, and Conditional Probabilities in a Special Education Sample

Abstract

Ratings were collected on a rating scale comprised of the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for disruptive behavior disorders. Teacher ratings were obtained for 364 boys in special education classrooms in elementary schools from around North America. Prevalence rates of attention deficit-hyperactivity (ADHD), oppositional-defiant (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) scales are reported by age. A factor analysis revealed four factors: one reflecting ODD and several CD symptoms, one on which ADHD symptoms of inattention loaded, one comprised of ADHD impulsivity symptoms, and a fourth on which covert CD symptoms loaded. Conditional probability analyses revealed several hallmark symptoms of ADHD had very poor positive predictive power, and items differed on their utility as inclusionary or exclusionary symptoms for diagnosis. Implications of these results for school psychologists' practices are discussed.

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Notes on contributors

William E. Pelham

William E. Pelham, Jr., PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, and Director, Attention Deficit Disorder Program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. His research interests include alcohol effects on adult child interactions, and psychostimulant medication effects on ADHD children.

Steven W. Evans

Steven W. Evans, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and Director, Attention and Conduct Evaluation Service at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. His research interests include adolescents with ADHD, and classroom interventions for ADHD children and adolescents.

Elizabeth M. Gnagy

Elizabeth M. Gnagy, BS, is Senior Research Associate with the Attention Deficit Disorder Program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.

Karen E. Greenslade

Karen E. Greenslade, MBA, is Senior Research Associate with the Attention Deficit Disorder Program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.