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Homework problems are frequently encountered, especially among youth with ADHD. The Homework Problems Checklist (HPC) is a parent-rated questionnaire to assess homework problems that was studied with children but not extensively with teens. We assessed the psychometric properties of the HPC with teens with and without ADHD. Firstly, the factor structures from previous studies were fitted on a large representative Dutch teen community sample (N = 991; 10-18 years), and one Dutch (N = 118; 12-16 years) and two American (N = 348; 10-14 years, N = 180; 13-17 years) samples with teens diagnosed with ADHD. Secondly, homework problems of the community sample and the samples of teens with ADHD were compared. Thirdly, the effects of age and sex on homework problems were tested. The results indicated that 1) a two-factor (1. Completion and 2. Management) model fitted the data adequately. Coefficients of congruence confirmed equal factor structures in the samples. 2) The samples with teens with ADHD had more homework problems than the community sample, and among those teens with ADHD the US samples had more homework problems than the Dutch sample. 3) In the community sample, older teens showed fewer homework completion problems than younger teens. Moreover, homework management problems decreased with age in females but not in males. Sex- and age effects for teens with ADHD were minimal. Raw and percentile scores of the community sample are provided. In sum, the HPC can be used to establish the severity and nature of homework problems in teens. In teens without ADHD, particularly females, homework problems decrease with age, but for teens with ADHD, homework problems persist during adolescence.

Objective: Two studies identified core value influences on medical decision-making processes across and within cultures., Methods: In Study 1, Japanese and American adults reported desired levels of medical decision-making influence across conditions that varied in seriousness. Cultural antecedents (interdependence, independence, and power distance) were also measured. In Study 2, American adults reviewed a colorectal cancer screening decision aid. Decision preparedness was measured along with interdependence, independence, and desire for medical information., Results: In Study 1, higher interdependence predicted stronger desire for decision-making information in both countries, but was significantly stronger in Japan. The path from information desire to decision-making influence desire was significant only in Japan. The independence path to desire for decision-making influence was significant only in the United States. Power distance effects negatively predicted desire for decision-making influence only in the United States. For Study 2, high (low) interdependents and women (men) in the United States felt that a colorectal cancer screening decision aid helped prepare them more (less) for a medical consultation. Low interdependent men were at significantly higher risk for low decision preparedness., Conclusions: Study 1 suggests that Japanese participants may tend to view medical decision-making influence as an interdependent, information sharing exchange, whereas American respondents may be more interested in power sharing that emphasizes greater independence. Study 2 demonstrates the need to assess value influences on medical decision-making processes within and across cultures and suggests that individually tailored versions of decision aids may optimize decision preparedness., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)