Psychometric properties of the Dominic interactive assessment: a computerized self-report for children

Area of Science:

• Child psychology
• Developmental neuroscience
• Clinical assessment

Background:

• Assessing childhood behavioral and emotional disorders is crucial.
• Computerized self-report measures offer a novel approach.
• The Dominic Interactive (DI) is a computerized tool for assessing DSM-IV diagnoses in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Dominic Interactive (DI) assessment.
• To examine the DI's performance in a cohort of cocaine-exposed and non-exposed children.
• To compare DI results with other established behavioral measures.

Main Methods:

• Prospective longitudinal study of 322 children (169 cocaine-exposed, 153 non-exposed) followed from birth.
• At age 6, children completed the DI, a computerized self-report measure.
• Concurrent validity was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist, Affect in Play Scale, Conners's Teachers Rating Scale, and Parenting Stress Index.

Main Results:

• The DI demonstrated moderate to excellent internal consistencies across the total sample and subgroups.
• Concurrent validity correlations were generally low but comparable to existing literature.
• Significant correlations were most notable for externalizing behaviors.

Conclusions:

• The Dominic Interactive (DI) assessment is a reliable tool for evaluating childhood behavioral symptoms.
• Its validity is supported, particularly for externalizing behaviors, though agreement with parent reports is modest.
• The DI shows potential for use in research and clinical settings with children, including those with prenatal substance exposure.