SWAN scale for ADHD trait-based genetic research: a validity and polygenic risk study.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Genetics
• Child and Adolescent Health

Background:

• Population-based samples offer valuable genetic insights into psychopathology.
• The Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Rating Scale (SWAN) is a tool for assessing ADHD traits.
• Validating SWAN is crucial for its use in genetic research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the convergent and predictive validity of the parent- and self-report SWAN scales.
• To determine if SWAN scores are associated with ADHD diagnosis and polygenic risk.
• To explore the association of SWAN scores with co-occurring anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) traits and polygenic risk.

Main Methods:

• Collected parent- and self-report SWAN scores from 15,560 children and adolescents.
• Established age and sex norms for SWAN and determined diagnostic cut-points.
• Validated cut-points in a clinical sample and assessed convergent validity with Conners' scales.
• Analyzed associations between SWAN scores and polygenic risk for ADHD, OCD, and anxiety in 5,154 participants with genome-wide data.

Main Results:

• SWAN scores demonstrated high convergent validity with Conners' scales.
• SWAN cut-points accurately identified ADHD cases in both population and clinical samples (84% sensitivity, 92% specificity).
• Higher SWAN scores significantly correlated with polygenic risk for ADHD, but not for OCD or anxiety disorders.

Conclusions:

• The parent- and self-report SWAN scales are valid instruments for ADHD assessment.
• SWAN scales show potential for use in population-based genetic research of ADHD.
• SWAN's utility in genetic studies of co-occurring disorders like OCD and anxiety requires further investigation.