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Self-Report Measures for Assessing ADHD in Adults

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Clinical Handbook of ADHD Assessment and Treatment Across the Lifespan

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

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Abstract

While it is widely recognized that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persists into adulthood, methods of assessment for adults are decidedly less well studied than those used with children and adolescents, and this includes the commonly used self-report measures. The assessment of ADHD in adults intrinsically poses certain challenges that are less often present for children and adolescents, one of them being that, in at least some cases, self-report of ADHD symptoms, impairment, and related phenomena may be nearly the only data that are available. Even in cases where collateral informants are available, self-report measures represent an efficient screening tool, at the least, for use in clinical assessment. The current chapter reviews common self-report instruments for ADHD symptoms, related impairments, executive functioning, and quality of life (QoL), including a focus on reliability data for key instruments, which should provide the reader with several good options for use in practice or research. Common challenges to the effective use of self-report measures (e.g., nonvalid responses) are also considered.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Other changes to diagnostic criteria were also made in the DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5 transition, but they concern the aspects of pervasiveness and impairment of symptoms, rather than the symptoms themselves.

  2. 2.

    Utility of the CAARS for correctly identifying cases of ADHD in college students has been questionable in other studies, as well (Harrison et al., 2019).

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  1. Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA

    Will H. Canu, Maggie W. Johnson & Jonah E. Blum

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    Johnny L. Matson

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Canu, W.H., Johnson, M.W., Blum, J.E. (2023). Self-Report Measures for Assessing ADHD in Adults. In: Matson, J.L. (eds) Clinical Handbook of ADHD Assessment and Treatment Across the Lifespan. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41709-2_19

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