Development of the Reactive Aggression Assessment (RAGA-16) Part II: Clinical Validation

Area of Science:

• Child psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Reactive aggression (RA) is a significant symptom in child psychopathology, linked to severe illness and poor outcomes.
• Validated screening tools for RA in children under 12 are scarce, hindering early identification and intervention.
• The 16-item Reactive Aggression Assessment (RAGA-16) is a novel parent-report measure with initial evidence of reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide clinical validation evidence for the RAGA-16 parent-report instrument.
• To assess the psychometric properties and criterion validity of the RAGA-16 in a clinical sample of children.
• To establish the RAGA-16 as a reliable screening and outcome measure for childhood reactive aggression.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective chart review of children (inpatient and outpatient services) was conducted.
• Parents completed the RAGA-16 along with measures of depression, hypomania, ADHD, and aggression.
• Graded response models (GRMs) were used to evaluate the RAGA-16's factor structure and associations with criterion variables.

Main Results:

• Confirmatory models supported a two-factor structure for the RAGA-16 with high reliability (ωt = .98).
• RAGA-16 scores strongly correlated with aggression, impulsivity, and oppositionality (rs > .70), and moderately with hypomanic symptoms (r = .40).
• No significant association was found with depression, and RAGA-16 scores differentiated externalizing diagnoses.

Conclusions:

• The RAGA-16 demonstrates strong criterion associations and high score reliability, aligning with the construct of reactive aggression.
• The RAGA-16 is a promising tool for assessing youth RA, especially when combined with clinical score characteristics and epidemiological norms.
• Clinical validation supports the RAGA-16's utility in assessing reactive aggression in children within inpatient and outpatient settings.