Introduction: The Life Participation Scale for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)–Child Version (LPS-C) was developed to capture treatment-related improvements in adaptive functioning, including quality of life, social development, and emotion regulation, that may be missed by scales that assess only the 18 ADHD symptoms in the Diagostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). The 24-item LPS-C is intended to augment traditional ADHD measures. This analysis assessed the scale's psychometric properties.
Methods: The LPS-C was completed by the investigators while questioning the parents of 979 children in three placebo-controlled clinical trials that measured the effects of atomoxetine for treating ADHD. In addition to a factor analysis, assessments of responsiveness; internal consistency; item-to-total correlations; and convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity were completed.
Results: The LPS-C showed evidence of internal consistency and convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. The factor analysis suggested two subscales (labeled the Self-Control and Agreeable subscales). The LPS-C demonstrated responsiveness in two of the three trials. The effect sizes suggest responsiveness between that for psychosocial measures and core symptom measures.
Conclusions: The LPS-C appears to be a valid research and clinical instrument for assessing change in ADHD-related adaptive functioning that may not be captured by traditional measures of core ADHD symptoms.
