Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS)

Abstract

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. Various factors can delay the timely diagnosis of adult ADHD. The brown attention deficit disorder scales (BADDS) is a consistent measure of attention deficit disorder (ADD) across the life span. Objectives: This article aims to examine the reliability and validity of a Persian version of the BADDS. Methods: A total of 100 participants were enrolled in this descriptive study by convenience sampling. Cases were recruited from the adult ADHD outpatient clinic of Roozbeh psychiatry hospital in 2019. Controls were from the caregivers of patients presenting to Roozbeh general psychiatry outpatient clinic. The conners’ adult ADHD rating scale was used to measure concurrent validity. Results: Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.979 for the test, ranging from 0.888 to 0.942 for the clusters. Also, the intra-class coefficient (0.977) confirmed strong internal stability. For the cut-off point of 55, the sensitivity was 96%, and the specificity was 74%. Our study demon-strated a significant relationship between the C scale and the D scale of the Conners’ test and the total score of the BADDS questionnaire (r = 0.61 and r = 0.64, respectively), verifying the concurrent validity of the instrument. Construct validity was evaluated by the t-test. All five clusters’ total and subtotal scores were significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls. Conclusions: The Persian version of BADDS is reliable and valid and can be used in clinical settings.