OBJECTIVES:

Medication switching is common during the treatment of ADHD. A questionnaire for clinical trials with pediatric ADHD patients was developed to investigate treatment satisfaction, treatment preference, and reasons for prior treatment changes.

METHODS:

Questionnaires were developed to reflect age ranges used in the clinical trial program (child 4-12 years, adolescent 13-17 years). Questionnaire content is based on literature review and internal stakeholder input. We previously found the ATSQ structure for adolescent self-report (ATSQ-A) and caregiver report (ATSQ-PA) versions to be strong. The current study validates the conceptual framework and reliability of the ATSQ version for caregivers of children with ADHD (ATSQ-PC) in a sample of 367 caregivers.

RESULTS:

We previously established two correlated factors in the ATSQ-A and ATSQ-PA: Daily Impact and Comparison Rating. For the ATSQ-PC, one additional item (“completing tasks at home”) was included in the Daily Impact factor. Otherwise, the overall structure remains consistent with the ATSQ-A and ATSQ-PA.

The data were randomly split into two samples to allow for model refinement in one sample (n=147) and a confirmation sample (n=220). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that ATSQ-PC data strongly support a 2-factor model (CFI 0.991, RMSEA 0.051) with domains for treatment comparison (better medication, fewer side effects, preference) and impacts on activities of daily living (ADHD symptoms, family relationships, friendships, schoolwork and tasks at home, home behavior, learning, anxiety/worry). Coefficient alpha for these two domains were strong: Comparison Rating = 0.903 & Daily Impact = 0.955.

CONCLUSIONS:

Combined with previous results of the ATSQ-A and ATSQ-PA versions, this study provides strong support for using two domains in the ATSQ-PC. Factor structure supports interpreting the domains as equivalent across the three ATSQ versions with strongly reliable measurement of these patient domains.