Evaluating the Hyperactivity/Inattention Subscale of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.

BACKGROUND

High scores on the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth Hyperactivity/Inattention Subscale (NLSCY H/I Scale) have been used to indicate severe inattention and overactivity representing Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, a threshold on the scale has not been identified for use as an epidemiological marker for clinically significant disorder.

DATA AND

METHODS

The NLSCY H/I Scale is evaluated in a subsample of the cycle 1 NLSCY population (n=10,498), weighted to represent 2.36 million children aged 6 to 11 in 1994/1995. Logistic regression measured the association of scores on the scale against three potential criteria, adjusting for age, sex and socioeconomic status: 1) current methylphenidate use, 2) diagnosed emotional disorder, and 3) functional impairment. Sensitivity analyses identified threshold scores where false positives and false negatives were most nearly equivalent. The preferred criterion provides the greatest area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve and the highest specificity at the identified threshold.

RESULTS

Current methylphenidate use and diagnosed emotional disorder yielded essentially identical models, with thresholds of 14 or more and nearly overlapping ROC curves. High scores on the NLSCY H/I Scale are associated with current methylphenidate use and diagnosed emotional disorder.

INTERPRETATION: The parent-reported NLSCY H/I Scale can be used in population studies as a highly specific indicator of clinically significant ADHD symptoms.