Do Teachers Confirm Parent’s Ratings of ADHD DSM-IV Criteria? A Study of a Mexican Population

Figures & data

Table 1 Sample Distribution by Sex and Grade

Group: School Grades	n			Total
	Boys	Girls
G1: 1–2	162	132		294
G2: 3–4	168	109		277
G3: 5–6	124	94		218
Total	454	335		789

Figure 1 Interactions between informant, school grade group, and sex.

Table 2 Comparisons of Rater’s Results

	Dimensional Scores				d*
	Parents		Teachers
	M	(SD)	M	(SD)
Total ADHD symptoms	23.41	(13.59)	17.84	(15.07)	0.38
Inattention	11.94	(7.28)	9.79	(7.97)	0.28
Hip/Impulsivity	11.47	(7.34)	8.04	(7.87)	0.41
School grade group
G1	23.50	(13.96)	19.90	(16.78)	0.24
G2	23.79	(13.37)	16.50	(14.36)	0.49
G3	22.79	(13.93)	16.75	(13.13)	0.45
Sex
Girls	20.21	(13.14)	12.96	(12.92)	0.55
Boys	25.77	(13.44)	21.44	(15.53)	0.27

Note: *Cohen’s d for related samples.

Abbreviations: Hyp, hyperactivity; G1, school grades 1–2; G2, school grades 3–4; G3, school grades 5–6; M, mean; SD, standard deviation.

Figure 2 Agree-plot. Number of children identified as meeting (ADHD) and not meeting (non-ADHD) criterion A for ADHD diagnosis (DSM-5⁴), according to parents’ and teachers’ report. Black squares represent the number of cases reported in agreement, white areas represent discordant cases.

Table 3 Number of Questionnaires Delivered to and Recovered from Teachers, Classification According to Parent’s and Teachers’ Reports, and Inter-Rater Agreement, by School Grade

		Parent’s Classification (n)		Teachers’ Classification (n)	Agreem^b n (%)	κ	[95% C.I.]
Grade	Criterion A	Delivered to Teachers	Recovered^a from Teachers
G1	ADHD	192	136	99	75 (55)	0.40	[0.30, 0.50]
	Non-ADHD	192	158	195	134 (84)
	Total	384	294	294
G2	ADHD	208	138	73	52 (37)	0.22	[0.12, 0.32]
	Non-ADHD	208	139	204	118 (85)
	Total	416	277	277
G3	ADHD	144	111	62	47 (42)	0.28	[0.16, 0.39]
	Non-ADHD	144	107	156	92 (85)
	Total	288	218	218
Total	ADHD	544	385	234	174 (45)	0.30	[0.24, 0.36]
	Non-ADHD	544	404	555	344 (85)
	Total	1088	789	789	518 (65)

Notes: ^aComplete questionnaires recovered (incomplete questionnaires were excluded). ^bAgreement between teachers and parents in the recovered questionnaires (n=789). In each row 100% is the number reported by the parents.

Abbreviations: G1, school grades 1–2; G2, school grades 3–4; G3, school grades 5–6; κ, inter-rater reliability coefficient.

Figure 3 Analysis by symptoms in children meeting (ADHD) and not meeting (non-ADHD) criterion A for ADHD diagnosis (DSM-5⁴). Columns show: (A) Inter-rater reliability coefficient (κ) for the entire sample, and (B) the frequency (in proportions) of children reported as having each symptom, by parents only (P), by teachers only (T), by both raters (AND), or by at least one (OR). In each column, the highest frequency (max) is in dark blue, and the lowest (min) in white.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA.: American Psychiatric Publishing; 2013.

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