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Validation of an Arabic multi-informant psychiatric diagnostic interview for children and adolescents: development
Pia Zeinoun1, Souha Bawab, Mia Atwi
1Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Beirut, Lebanon; School of Social and Behavioral Science, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
Background:
Countries in the Arab region lack a valid Arabic psychiatric diagnostic interview for children and adolescents. We set out to establish the diagnostic validity of the Arabic version of the Development and Well Being Assessment (DAWBA-Arabic), a multi-informant structured interview for predicting DSM-IV-TR diagnoses.
Methods:
The DAWBA was translated, updated, and administered to 45 participants (child and adolescent psychiatric outpatients and their parents) as part of a clinic registry. Two clinicians, blinded to their respective diagnoses, formulated the DAWBA diagnoses. Participants also underwent a clinical evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist who generated clinical diagnoses according to the DSM-IV-TR.
Results:
Inter-rater reliabilities were .93, .82, and .72 for disruptive disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders respectively. Agreement between DAWBA and clinical diagnoses was substantial for disruptive disorders (κ=.0.82) and mood disorders (κ=0.74), and moderate for anxiety disorders (κ=0.46).
Conclusion:
The DAWBA-Arabic could serve as a valid and reliable clinical tool for assessing psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in the Arab region.
