The Mania Rating Scale (MRS): further reliability and validity studies with children

Empirical studies of prepubertal mania are scarce and are limited by a lack of assessment instruments. This study extended previous research on the Mania Rating Scale (MRS) in children. Psychometric properties of the MRS were examined in three new groups of prepubertal subjects: (1) 10 inpatients with bipolar disorder, (2) 10 inpatients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and (3) 10 outpatients with ADHD. Subjects were administered the MRS and other standard depression and hyperactivity measures. The MRS had adequate internal consistency (alpha = .80), convergent validity (r = .83, p < .0001), and divergent validity (no significant correlations with depression and hyperactivity ratings). Items assessing "classic" manic symptoms (e.g., elevated mood, increased sexual interest, pressured speech, racing thoughts) effectively discriminated the bipolar group from both comparison groups, while items assessing increased activity level and irritability did not. Results suggest that the MRS can be used with children.