OBJECTIVE: To examine factor structures of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) symptoms of ADHD in adults. METHOD: Two sets of models were tested: (a) models with inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity as separate but correlated latent constructs and (b) hierarchical general factor models with a general factor for all symptoms and separate specific factors for inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Participants were 751 adults with ADHD. Two models with correlated factors and two general factor models of ADHD symptoms were tested. RESULTS: The general factor model provided a better fit of the data than the correlated models. The general factor model with one general and three (inattention, motoric, and verbal hyperactivity/impulsivity) specific factors best accounted for the adults' symptoms. CONCLUSION: These results suggest a unitary component to ADHD symptoms as well as dimensional specific factors. The replication of a general factor in adults suggests continuity of symptom presentation from childhood into adulthood. Clinical implications are discussed.
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Gibbins et al. (2011) studied this question.
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