Psychometric characteristics of the knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder scale (KADDS) in a sample of Colombian teachers

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2024-01, Vol.156, p.107374, Article 107374
• Main Authors: Robledo-Castro, Carolina, Hederich-Martínez, Christian, Montoya-Londoño, Diana Marcela
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADHD; Instrument validation; Psychometrics; Teacher training
• ISSN: 0190-7409; 1873-7765
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107374

•The knowledge about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are constantly being developed and updated.•It is vitally important that teachers have sufficient and up-to-date knowledge about ADHD.•The instruments to evaluate teachers' knowledge of ADHD do not report validity and reliability for Latin American population.•The Knowledge of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (KADDS) is the most studied scale to evaluate teachers' knowledge of ADHD.•The psychometric characteristics of the KADDS were evaluated in a sample of Colombian teachers.•The global KADDS is a consistent and valid to evaluate teachers' knowledge of ADHD, but the individual subscales did not show sufficient reliability. ADHD Attention Deficit Disorder is the neurodevelopmental disorder with the highest prevalence rate in children and adolescents worldwide. For this reason, guaranteeing quality care and education for the population with ADHD implies high challenges for the members of the health systems and the educational communities. This is the reason why teachers play a crucial role in the early detection of ADHD and comprehensive care for this population. Hence, researchers have designed diverse instruments to assess teachers’ knowledge about ADHD in the last thirty years. One of the highly used instruments is the 'Knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorders Scale (KADDS),' which, to date, lacks adaptation and validation to be applied in Colombia. The present study evaluates the reliability of the KADDS scale for the Colombian context. To that end, the study embraces a descriptive cross-sectional design with a sample of 269 Colombian primary school teachers. As the major finding, this study offers the identification of the KADDS’ psychometric characteristics and provide an overview of the participating teachers' knowledge of ADHD.