Psychometric properties of the Young Mania Rating Scale for the identification of mania symptoms in Spanish children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Background: Diagnosing mania in children is difficult, due to the high comorbidity and symptom overlap with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The detection of manic symptoms in ADHD has important implications for prognosis and choice of treatment. Our objective was to study the utility of the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) for discriminating mania in Spanish children with ADHD.

Method: One hundred children and adolescents with ADHD between 8 and 17 years of age were evaluated with a structured diagnostic interview (Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-IV), the YMRS, the Parent-Young Mania Rating Scale (P-YMRS), the Child Mania Rating Scale-Parent Version (CMRS-P) and the Children's Global Assessment Scale.

Results: The YMRS showed a 1-dimensional structure with good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The YMRS was associated with the P-YMRS and the CMRS-P. The scores obtained with the YMRS differentiated between ADHD with and without mania. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed good diagnostic efficiency in differentiating mania in ADHD (area under the curve of 0.90).

Conclusions: The Spanish version of the YMRS is a valid and reliable instrument for detecting and quantifying the symptoms of mania in children and adolescents with ADHD. The results provide further knowledge about the frequent association between ADHD and manic symptoms in children.