The Conners' Teachier Rain Scale(CTRS-28) applied to a U.K. sample

Abstract

To assess the application of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-28) in the United Kingdom, we obtained ratings from the teachers of a representative sample of 2,632 twin school children, aged between 6 and 11 years. In the older age group (ages 9-11), there were no significant differences between the present means for the CTRS-28 dimensions and the means for the original standardization sample (Goyette, Conners, & Ulrich, 1978). In the younger age group (ages 6-8), boys obtained higher average ratings on the Conduct Problem dimension and girls obtained higher average ratings on the Hyperactivity dimension, compared to the original study. Two standard deviation cutoff points, which can be used to specify "extreme" groups, identified similar numbers of children in the older age group, whether the cutoff points were based on the present or the original data. For the younger children, the present cutoff points identified consistently fewer children than the original cutoff points. Boys obtained higher scores than girls on each dimension, and there was a decrease in the mean scores with age for the Hyperactivity and Inattentive-Passive, but not Conduct Problem, dimensions. The findings highlight the need to consider the generalizability of rating scale norms and restandardization in different populations and historical time points.

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