Factor structure of parent and teacher ratings of the ODD symptoms for Malaysian primary school children

•Parent reports have indicated that ODD symptoms are multidimensional.•No study has examined the applicability of such models in Asian countries.•Study examined the relevance of multidimensional models for Malaysian children.•Teacher and parent reports supported a three-factor model.•However all the primary factors had high loadings on a single higher factor.

This present study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the applicability of one-, two- three- and second order Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) factor models, proposed in previous studies, in a group of Malaysian primary school children. These models were primarily based on parent reports. In the current study, parent and teacher ratings of the ODD symptoms were obtained for 934 children. For both groups of respondents, the findings showing some support for all models examined, with most support for a second order model with Burke et al. (2010) three factors (oppositional, antagonistic, and negative affect) as the primary factors. The diagnostic implications of the findings are discussed.