Validation of the French Version of Conners' Parent Rating Scale Revised, Short Version: Factorial Structure and Reliability.

OBJECTIVE: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorders. Its diagnosis requires reference questionnaires such as the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). Presently, in French-speaking countries, a few translations of the revised short CPRS have been put to use without previous formal validation. We sought here for the validation of a French version (Lausanne, Switzerland) of the revised short CPRS regarding construct validity, internal consistency, and item reliability in a sample of French schoolchildren. METHOD: The study involved 795 children and adolescents aged 9 to 19 years from a single school. The factorial structure and item reliability were assessed with a confirmatory factor analysis for ordered categorical variables. The dimension internal consistency was assessed with Guttman's lambda 6 coefficient. RESULTS: The results confirmed the original and strong 3-dimensional factorial structure (Oppositional, Cognitive Problems/Inattention, and Hyperactivity), showed satisfactory item reliability, and indicated a good dimension internal consistency (Guttman's lambda 6 coefficient: 0.87, 0.90, and 0.82, respectively, to the 3 dimensions). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the Lausanne French version of the revised short CPRS may be considered validated regarding construct validity and item and dimension reliability; it can be now more confidently used in clinical practice.

Mental disorders in offspring of parents with bipolar and major depressive disorders.

OBJECTIVES: There is limited information on the specificity of associations between parental bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) and the risk of psychopathology in offspring. The chief aim of the present study was to investigate the association between mood disorder subtypes in the two parents and mental disorders in the offspring. METHODS: A total of 376 offspring (aged 6.0-17.9 years; mean=11.5years) of 72 patients with BPD (139 offspring), 56 patients with MDD (110 offspring), and 66 controls (127 offspring) participated in a family study conducted in two university hospital centers in Switzerland. Probands, offspring, and biological co-parents were interviewed by psychologists blind to proband diagnoses, using a semi-structured diagnostic interview. RESULTS: Rates of mood and anxiety disorders were elevated among offspring of BPD probands (34.5% any mood; 42.5% any anxiety) and MDD probands (25.5% any mood; 44.6% any anxiety) as compared to those of controls (12.6% any mood; 22.8% any anxiety). Moreover, recurrent MDD was more frequent among offspring of BPD probands (7.9%) than those of controls (1.6%). Parental concordance for bipolar spectrum disorders was associated with a further elevation in the rates of mood disorders in offspring (64.3% both parents versus 27.2% one parent). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide unique information on the broad manifestations of parental mood disorders in their offspring. The earlier onset and increased risk of recurrent MDD in the offspring of parents with BPD compared to those of controls suggests that the episodicity characterizing BPD may emerge in childhood and adolescence.

Validation of the French Version of Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Short Form in ADHD-Diagnosed Children and Comparison With Control Children.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine measurement invariance and discriminant validity of the French Lausanne version (FLV) of the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Short Form (CPRS-R:S) and assess its convergent validity against the ADHD Symptoms Rating Scale (ADHD-SRS) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Method: A confirmatory factor analysis and Tobit models were used in 108 ADHD children (aged 6-17) vs. 794 controls (aged 9-15) and score correlations were examined between FLV and ADHD-SRS then CBCL. Results: The factorial structure and reliability of the FLV is confirmed in ADHD children. The FLV showed configural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance. FLV scores were significantly higher in ADHD than in control children in all three dimensions (p < .001). There were strong correlations between FLV Hyperactivity and Cognitive problems/Inattention scores and ADHD-SRS scores of Impulsivity/Hyperactivity (r = .90) and Inattention (r = .68) and also strong correlations between FLV Opposition score and the CBCL scores of Aggressive behavior (r = .84) and Rule-breaking behavior (r = .66). Conclusion: The study brings support for validation of the FLV regarding invariance in ADHD children, discriminant validity, and convergent validity.

Validation of the French Version of Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Short Version (CPRS-R:S): Scale Measurement Invariance by Sex and Age.

Objective: ADHD is one of the most frequent neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition to clinical assessment, its diagnosis requires the use of validated and reliable behavior questionnaires such as the Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised: Short Form (CPRS-R:S). Though various French versions of the CPRS-R:S have been already put to use in clinical practice and research, only a few have undergone a stringent validation process. After a previous validation of the factorial structure of Lausanne French version, we sought here for the analysis of its invariance across sex and age. Method: This validation step was carried out in a rather homogeneous French population of 365 boys and 374 girls from a single school. Two-age classes were considered: children (boys and girls) aged 9 to 11 years (n = 258) and adolescents aged 12 to 15 years (n = 481). Results: Regarding age, dimension Oppositional showed a strong invariance whereas dimensions Hyperactivity and Cognitive problems/Inattention showed a partially strong invariance. Regarding sex, dimensions Oppositional and Hyperactivity showed a partially strong invariance whereas dimension Cognitive problems/Inattention showed a partially weak invariance. The distribution of the CPRS-R:S scores is given by sex and age class. Conclusion: The Lausanne French version of the CPRS-R:S, already validated regarding its factorial structure, internal consistency, and reliability, is here validated regarding its invariance across sex and age. Caution should be taken in using dimension Cognitive problems/Inattention in comparisons between boys and girls.