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In this article, the authors report the psychometric properties of a parent-completed rating scale based on the criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). Mothers of 294 boys and 48 girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 53 boys and 45 girls without behavior problems completed the Oppositional Defiant Disorder Rating Scale (ODDRS). Fathers of 44 boys with ADHD also completed the scale, and 71 mothers of boys with ADHD provided 1-year test-retest data. The ODDRS had high internal consistency, high interrater reliability, and moderate 1-year test-retest reliability. The scale had one principal component and correlated as expected with related subscales from the Child Behavior Checklist and with overreactive parenting. Scores were not significantly correlated with parent or child age or with socioeconomic status. The strong psychometric properties indicate that this measure holds considerable promise for briefly assessing ODD in a manner consistent with the DSM-IV-TR.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is one of the most prevalent externalizing disorders, estimated to affect 2% to 16% of youth (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). Individuals with ODD display a recurrent pattern of behavior that is disobedient, negativistic, defiant, and hostile toward authority figures and that impairs the individual's ability to function personally, socially, or academically over a period of at least 6 months. The onset is usually before the age of 8 years and typically does not emerge later than early adolescence. ODD behaviors have high stability from preschool through school age and early adolescence (Lavigne et al., 2001). In addition, ODD behaviors in young children are related to both internalizing and externalizing disorders and are predictive of longer-term difficulties, such as depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder (CD; Gadow & Nolan, 2002; Kadesjö, Hägglöf, Kadesjö, & Gillberg, 2003; Mason et al., 2004; Rowe, Maughan, Pickles, Costello, & Angold, 2002). The association of ODD behaviors with multiple problems, combined with its status as a risk factor for CD, highlights the importance of assessing ODD behaviors in young children.
Kamphaus, Petoskey, and Rowe (2000) recommended that child mental health assessments integrate multiple methods, including parent and teacher interviews, observations, testing, and parent- and teacher-completed behavior rating scales. Comprehensive rating scales, such as the Behavioral Assessment System for...