Factor Structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition Spanish in a Clinical Sample

Authors

Alicia Nuñez, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Davor N. Zink, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Kimberly A. Barchard, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Liza E. San Miguel, University of Puerto Rico
Daniel N. Allen, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-21-2018

Publication Title

Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology

Volume

34

Issue

1

First page number:

89

Last page number:

95

Abstract

Objective The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition Spanish (WISC-IV Spanish) is a translation and adaptation of the WISC-IV that is often used in neuropsychological evaluation of children and adolescents with acquired or developmental brain disorders. However, there is limited information on the factor structure of the WISC-IV Spanish when used with clinical populations. To address the potential effects of language and culture on the validity of the WISC-IV Spanish factor structure, this study examined the construct validity of the WISV-IV Spanish scores using confirmatory factor analysis in a clinical sample of Hispanic children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Method Participants included 148 children whose primary language was Spanish, who had a primary diagnosis of ADHD, and who had been administered the WISC-IV Spanish as part of a clinical evaluation (mean age = 10.6 years; SD = 2.7). Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate if the WISC-IV Spanish was best explained by a 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-factor model based on the Cattell–Horn–Carroll theory. Results A 4-factor model composed of verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed factors provided the best fit for the data (comparative fit index = .95; root mean square error of approximation = .06). Conclusions Findings for children with ADHD and LD support interpretation of WISC-IV Spanish Index scores based on the 4-factor model identified in Spanish- and English-speaking normative samples. Additional research with understudied clinical populations is warranted to address gaps in cross-cultural research.

Keywords

ADHD; Assessment; Cross-cultural/minority

Disciplines

Child Psychology

Language

English

Repository Citation

Nuñez, A., Zink, D. N., Barchard, K. A., San Miguel, L. E., Allen, D. N. (2018). Factor Structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition Spanish in a Clinical Sample. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 34(1), 89-95.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acy011