Perceived social support in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Abstract

BACKGROUND\nSocial support is crucial to healthy development, serving as an important protective factor.\n\n\nAIMS\nThis study is the first to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German version of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (CASSS). We further investigated differences between children and adolescents with and without ADHD.\n\n\nMETHODS\nOur total sample of N\u2009=\u2009525 consisted of clinical participants diagnosed with ADHD (28.8 %) and healthy controls (71.2 %). We investigated item properties, factorial validity and reliability of the CASSS and performed a group comparison between patients with ADHD and healthy controls.\n\n\nRESULTS\nFactor analyses confirmed a four-factor structure corresponding to different sources of social support. All scales showed very good internal consistency. Results revealed that patients with ADHD perceived less overall support compared to the healthy controls.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nThe German version of the CASSS is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of perceived social support in children and adolescents. As children with ADHD perceived less social support in comparison to healthy controls, the identification and promotion of social skills should be an integral part of the treatment of ADHD.