Self-report of ADHD symptoms in university students: Cross-gender and cross-national prevalence

Little research has examined the structure and prevalence of attention-defi cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in university students, includin g whether symptom structure conforms to the bidimensional (i.e., inattentio n and hyperactivity-impulsivity) conceptualization of the Diagnostic and Si atistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMV-IV; American Psychiatric Associa tion, 1994) and whether self-reported symptoms vary across gender and count ry. A sample of 1,209 university students from three countries (Italy, New Zealand, and the United States) completed a 24-item self-report measure (th e Young Adult Rating Scale) tapping ADHD symptomatology. Factor analyses wi thin the U.S. and New Zealand samples supported a bidimensional symptom str ucture, whereas weaker support for this conceptualization was provided by t he Italian sample. Participants did not vary significantly by gender in sym ptom report; however, Italian students reported significantly more inattent ion and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms than students from the United St ates, and students from New Zealand reported more inattention symptoms than students from the United States. The prevalence of self-reported ADHD symp toms beyond DSM-IV thresholds for diagnosis ranged from 0% (Italian women) to 8.1% (New Zealand men). The implications of these results for the use of DSM-IV criteria in identifying university students with ADHD are discussed .