The DADYS-Screen: Development and Evaluation of a Screening Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children

Abstract

Affective dysregulation (AD) in children is characterized by persistent irritability and severe temper outbursts. This study developed and evaluated a screening questionnaire for AD in children. The development included the generation of an initial item pool from existing instruments, a Delphi rating of experts, focus groups with experts and parents, and psychometric analyses of clinical and population-based samples. Based on data of a large community-based study, the final screening questionnaire was developed ( n = 771; 49.7 % female; age M = 10.02 years; SD = 1.34) and evaluated ( n = 8,974; 48.7 % female; age M = 10.00 years; SD = 1.38) with methods from classical test theory and item response theory. The developed DADYS-Screen ( Diagnostic Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children— Screening Questionnaire) includes 12 items with good psychometric properties and scale characteristics including a good fit to a one-factorial model in comparison to the baseline model, although only a “mediocre” fit according to the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Results could be confirmed using a second and larger data set. Overall, the DADYS-Screen is able to identify children with AD, although it needs further investigation using clinical data.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children with and without affective dysregulation and their families

“…Before the pandemic, three samples with AD (AD group, n = 487) were recruited based on high scores on a caregiver-rated screening for AD in the ADOPT project (DADYS-Screen; ≥ 90th percentile; [ 25 ]: one screened community sample and one clinical sample (with adoptive or biological caregivers) and one out-of-home care sample. Additionally, three samples without AD (No AD group, n = 821) were recruited: one screened community sample with typical or subclinical scores (> 10th and < 90th percentile; No AD 11-89 ) and one screened community sample with very low scores (≤ 10th percentile, No AD 0-10 )—both with either adoptive or biological caregivers—and one out-of-home care sample with typical, subclinical, or very low scores (< 90th percentile; No AD 0-89 ).…”

Screening for affective dysregulation in school-aged children: relationship with comprehensive measures of affective dysregulation and related mental disorders

“…The newly developed Diagnostic Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children (DADYS; [10,12,18,28] might be suitable to fill this gap, as it focuses on the broader conceptualization of AD comprising all of the stated aspects of AD by merging the different operationalizations into one tool. To integrate different perspectives, it comprises parent, self-, and clinical ratings.…”

“…To integrate different perspectives, it comprises parent, self-, and clinical ratings. Furthermore, it includes a parent-rated screening questionnaire-the DADYS-Screen-which might be particularly appropriate to identify children at risk of AD [28]. The DADYS-Screen assesses symptoms of irritability, impulsivity, temper outbursts, anger, and mood swings in 8-12 yearolds.…”

“…The DADYS measures were developed based on existing measures of aspects of AD (Global Index of the Conners' Rating Scale, [5],SDQ, [7], DISYPS-III, [9], PROMIS Anger Scale, [17],Emotion Regulation Checklist, [31],Affective Reactivity Index, [32]. Item selection and evaluation for the DADYS-Screen was conducted following a mixed-methods approach, including a Delphi rating of experts, focus groups with experts and parents, and psychometric analyses based on methods from classical test theory and item response theory (see [28] for detailed information on item compilation and selection). The first evaluation of the DADYS-Screen by Otto et al [28] indicated excellent internal consistency, high content validity, and mainly good psychometric properties and scale characteristics, including a good fit to a one-factorial model.…”

“…Item selection and evaluation for the DADYS-Screen was conducted following a mixed-methods approach, including a Delphi rating of experts, focus groups with experts and parents, and psychometric analyses based on methods from classical test theory and item response theory (see [28] for detailed information on item compilation and selection). The first evaluation of the DADYS-Screen by Otto et al [28] indicated excellent internal consistency, high content validity, and mainly good psychometric properties and scale characteristics, including a good fit to a one-factorial model. However, the construct and criterion validity have not yet been comprehensively evaluated, and there is no cut-off considering its sensitivity and specificity in relation to comprehensive assessments of AD.…”