Abstract
Although attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood has become a topic of considerable interest to psychiatrists over the past decade, little is known about the prevalence or correlates of adult ADHD in the Chinese population. As a first step in addressing this problem, this study presents data on the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the World Health Organization's Adult ADHD Self-report Scale (ASRS) in a sample of 1031 young males from an army base and 3298 young adults from two colleges. All participants completed the Chinese ASRS. Participants from an army base also completed a clinical assessment including the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) for assessing childhood ADHD, the Impulsiveness Scale for measuring the severity of current impulsive behaviors, and information about substance use. Results showed good concordance (intraclass correlations = 0.80 approximately 0.85) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83 approximately 0.91) among the ASRS subscales and moderate to high correlations between these subscales and the WURS (Pearson's correlations = 0.37 approximately 0.66). The Chinese ASRS also demonstrated the ability to predict childhood disruptive problems and habitual use of substances. Our findings suggest that the Chinese ASRS is a reliable and valid instrument to assist in screening for adult ADHD.