Background and purpose: Disruptive behavior disorder, a class of behavioral disorder that causes discomfort to others. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale – Parent Form among the first grade elementary school students.

Method: 303 students (136 boys and 167 girls) were selected using random cluster sampling method among all the first grade students that were studying in Babol City’s elementary schools in 1392-93 academic year, and their parents completed the Persian version of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale. Data were analyzed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and exploratory factor analysis.

Results: The Cronbach's alpha for 45-item Persian version of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale was 0.94. The exploratory factor analysis (using principal components) yielded five factors including: hyperactivity/ impulsivity, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention deficit disorder, and unspecified disruptive behavior. Eight items were removed from the Persian version and the final scale included 37 items. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the total score and the factors ranged between 0.74 To 0.92, which were indicative of scale’s acceptable reliability. Finally, extracted factors showed high internal correlations with each other and with the total scale, which was indicative of scale’s construct validity.

Conclusion: Given to acceptable factor structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale - Parent Form, this scale can be used for screening and early diagnosis of students with disruptive behavioral disorders in elementary students.