Further Evidence of Reliability and Validity of the Child Symptom Inventory-4: Parent Checklist in Clinically Referred Boys

Abstract

Examined reliability and validity of the parent version of the Child Symptom Inventory (CSI-4) in 247 boys between 6.0 and 10 years 11 months old referred for evaluation of behavioral and emotional problems. The CSI-4 is a behavior rating scale whose items correspond to the symptoms of disorders defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Results indicated satisfactory internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and temporal stability over a 4-year period for most symptom categories. CSI-4 ratings converged and diverged in a theoretically consistent pattern with respective scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach, 1991a) and the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised-Parent Version (DICA-P; Reich, Shayka, & Taibleson, 1991). Discriminant validity was established in that boys with specific DICA-P diagnoses received significantly higher corresponding CSI-4 parent symptom ratings than boys not so diagnosed. Clinical utility (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, negative predictive power) was evaluated for screening cutoffs based on categorical (DSM-IV) and dimensional (normative distribution of Symptom Severity scores) scoring methods.

Reliability and Validity of Teacher-Rated Symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder in a Clinical Sample

“…In addition, the study provides initial evidence for the factorial validity of teacher ratings of DSM-IV-TR-defined symptoms of ODD and CD in clinical populations. Since similar findings were reported for parent-completed symptom ratings [3,4,25,28], it can be concluded that DSM-based rating scales are useful instruments for assessing disruptive behavior problems in children and adolescents across different contexts.…”

“…Many of these are directly linked to the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [1] or the ICD-10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders [2] and ask the respondent to rate the presence and intensity of symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). Although parent-completed symptom rating scales are reliable and valid measures of disruptive behavior [3,4], several authors recommended to use additional information from teachers when making diagnostic decisions concerning ODD/CD [5]. …”

Promoting Social Skill Development in Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders: A Feasibility and Efficacy Study

“…The Children's Symptom Inventory (Sprafkin et al 2002) and the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (Aman et al 1985), were used for screening, based on guidelines used in prior treatment studies for children with PDDs (Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network 2002). Children scoring higher than 18 on the irritability scale of the ABC or scoring in the clinically significant range on any CSI scale were excluded.…”

Working Memory Deficits and Social Problems in Children with ADHD

“…As an initial 2 Precedence for using shared variance to statistically derive central executive and/or storage/rehearsal variables is found in Kane et al (2004) and Swanson and Kim (2007). Sprafkin et al 2002). Previous studies also have shown that children with and without ADHD differ significantly on CBCL/TRF Social Problems items (e.g., Bagwell et al 2001).…”