Disentangling symptoms of externalizing disorders in children using multiple measures and informants.

What is it about?

This study evaluated the factor structure of externalizing symptoms in children and found that a common trait, expressed as hyperactivity–impulsivity symptoms, may underlie all externalizing disorders. These findings are consistent with predictions derived from the etiological trait impulsivity theory and highlight the multifactorial structure of psychopathology.

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Why is it important?

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine hypotheses regarding the latent factor structure of ADHD, ODD, CD, and CU symptoms derived from the trait impulsivity theory in a clinical sample of children. Beyond this, we tested the measurement invariance of general and specific facets of externalizing symptoms across raters or informants (clinicians, parents, teachers) and assessment modes (interview, questionnaires).