Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Short Form of the Affective Lability Scale in Adult Patients With ADHD.

OBJECTIVE Affective lability is an important dimension of adult ADHD, associated with marked impairments and worse outcomes. A valid and quick tool to measure affective lability may therefore be of interest. METHOD In 187 adult ADHD patients, we explored psychometric properties of the Affective Lability Scale-Short Form (ALS-18 items). We analyzed the construct validity and the external validity of the scale. Patients were compared with 48 healthy adult controls. RESULTS The three-factor structure of the ALS-18 presented a good fit and a good internal consistency. The correlations between the ALS-18 and ADHD symptoms and other psychological dimensions were, respectively, low and moderate. ALS-18 scores were higher in patients than in healthy adults. CONCLUSION ALS-18 showed good psychometric properties in ADHD adult patients, allowing us to recommend the implementation of ALS-18 in assessing affective lability for clinical and research purposes. Use of ALS-18 should improve the clinical assessment of affective lability in adult ADHD patients.