Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Anxiety Using the Vanderbilt ADHD Scale in a Diverse Community Outpatient Setting.
Nerissa S Bauer, Rachel Yoder, Aaron E Carroll and 1 others
PMID 27541582WHAT IT FOUND
Hispanic parents were less likely to report anxiety symptoms on the Vanderbilt ADHD Scale than white or black parents, regardless of language.
This suggests the screen may miss anxiety in Hispanic children, especially boys, because it does not ask about somatic complaints.
Key findings
01Hispanic parents were significantly less likely to endorse symptoms of potential anxiety compared to black and white families, regardless of whether they completed the screen in English or Spanish.
02The Vanderbilt ADHD Scale anxiety subscale does not include questions about somatic symptoms, which are often how anxiety presents in Hispanic populations, potentially explaining the under-detection.
03Among Hispanic families, parents reported significantly more anxiety symptoms in females than males, but teachers did not report this gender difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study did not compare VADRS results against a gold-standard anxiety diagnosis, so false positives and negatives are unknown. The sample consisted only of children referred for disruptive behavior, which may miss children with anxiety who do not present with externalizing behaviors. Preferred language was used as a proxy for acculturation, which is an imperfect measure. The VADRS anxiety subscale has only three items and does not assess somatic symptoms, which are common presentations of anxiety in Hispanic populations.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume a negative VADRS anxiety screen in a Hispanic child rules out anxiety. The study shows parents in this group are significantly less likely to endorse these specific behavioral items, possibly because they express distress through somatic complaints or cultural beliefs about labeling, which the VADRS does not capture.