Social and biological measures of hyperactivity and inattention: are they describing similar underlying constructs of child behavior?

Abstract

The relationship between 27 different measures of hyperactive, impulsive, and inattentive behavior, including those considered to be more objective and those considered more influenced by social factors, is examined using a normal sample of 219 Mexican children, ages 6 to 12. Measures were based on activity monitoring by accelerometry, ethological observation of attentional and movements states in the classroom, cognitive testing using the TOVA continuous performance test (CPT), and parents' and teachers' reports on ratings scales and symptom checklists. Factor analysis was used to examine to what degree these different measures are reporting similar underlying constructs (factors) of hyperactivity and inattention. Parent and teacher ratings appear to be describing underlying constructs that are distinct from those described by the other measures, but measures based on CPT, observation, and activity monitoring did not factor together either, nor more highly correlate to each other. Analysis combining all the measures showed that parent and teacher ratings factored together based on who was reporting the behavior, rather than the behavior being reported. The findings underscore that each type of measurement of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention measures a different aspect of a complex behavioral phenomenon, rather than some better measuring than others the same underlying factor.