Abstract Introduction Interpersonal negotiation skills (INS) comprise actions used to solve social situations between interacting individuals involving different needs or desires. These abilities are part of one’s social competence and may be impaired in some psychiatric conditions. There are few validated psychometric tools for measuring INS in the literature. This pilot study aimed to investigate some basic psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Interpersonal Negotiation Strategies Interview (INSI) in children and adolescents. Methods We developed a new version of the INSI adapted to the Brazilian culture using eight different dilemmas in dyadic situations (with peers and adults), presented visually as drawings on cards. A group of psychologists and psychiatrists chose and adapted the dilemmas formerly proposed by the original version. The same scoring criteria as for the original instrument were used. A total of 20 children and adolescents were included in this pilot study. We investigated test reliability using measures of interrater reliability, test-retest, and internal consistency. The content validity of the INSI was also evaluated by comparison with scores from the Child Behavior Checklist-Revised (CBCL). Results Internal consistency and test-retest evaluations were acceptable (rater 1: α = 0.77; rater 2: α = 0.72); the reliability of the instrument was excellent (K = 0.078; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.98; 95% confidence interval 0.97-0.99); and content validity was strongly significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions Preliminary results suggest that this version of the INSI has good interrater reliability and internal consistency and constitutes a promising tool to assess social competence.

Resumo Introdução: O conceito de devaneio se refere a períodos nos quais a atenção e o conteúdo do pensamento de distanciam da ideia original ou da atividade que estava sendo realizada. O fenômeno ocorre na população em geral, e a Escala Mind Excessively Wandering Scale (MEWS) avalia sua frequência, intensidade e desfechos negativos associados. Objetivos: Descrever a adaptação transcultural da MEWS. Métodos: A adaptação transcultural envolveu cinco etapas: tradução, retrotradução, apreciação da equivalência semântica e administração em amostra de conveniência composta de 20 adultos com transtorno do déficit de atenção com hiperatividade (TDAH) e 20 controles normais. Resultados: Os resultados demonstraram equivalência satisfatória entre as versões original e traduzida. Uma versão síntese para o português brasileiro é apresentada. Conclusão: A MEWS fornece informações importantes sobre atividade mental, algo particularmente importante em casos de TDAH. A versão em português brasileiro deverá ser bem acolhida, permitindo investigar respostas específicas ao tratamento e obter novas medidas de desfechos.

Abstract Introduction: The concept of mind wandering refers to periods during which attention and content of thoughts depart from the original idea or activity being performed. The phenomenon occurs commonly in the general population and the Mind Wandering Excessively Scale (MEWS) evaluates its frequency, intensity and related negative outcomes. Objective: To describe the cross-cultural adaptation of the MEWS. Methods: Cross-cultural adaptation of the original scale followed five consecutive steps: translation, backtranslation, appreciation of semantic equivalence and administration to a convenience sample to 20 adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 20 normal controls. Results: Results indicated a satisfactory equivalence between the original and translated versions. A synthesis version for Brazilian Portuguese is presented. Conclusions: MEWS provides information on thought activity, which is particularly important in ADHD cases. The Brazilian Portuguese version would be welcome to address specific treatment responses and obtain new outcome measures

Background Functional impairment is needed to make an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, but there is a paucity of instruments addressing this issue. Objective Perform psychometric analysis of a functional impairment scale (FIE). Methods A sample of 320 individuals, including ADHD probands, their siblings and parents, filled the FIE. We analyzed psychometric properties for the entire sample and age groups. Factor structure was determined by a principal component factor analysis, using oblique rotation with Kaiser normalization and Eigenvalues higher than 1. Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman-Brown were calculated. Results Family analysis revealed four components: a) “family life”, b) “self-perception”, c) “performance” and d) “social life”. Adults’ analysis revealed two components: a) “family life, social life and self-perception” and b) “performance”. Children showed the domains: a) “performance and social life”, b) “self-perception” and c) “family life” components. Cronbach’s alpha were above 0.9 in all components. Discussion Results revealed up to four domains depending on the group considered. Different life demands might explain the variability of domains on the groups.