A construct validity study of the Missouri Children's Behavior Checklist with developmentally disabled children

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Disabilities Research
• Behavioral Assessment

Background:

• The Multidimensional Child Behavior Checklist (MCBC) is a tool used to assess behavior in children.
• Understanding the construct validity of the MCBC is crucial for its effective application in clinical settings.
• Children referred to developmental disability clinics often present with complex behavioral and emotional needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the construct validity of the MCBC scales and behavior profiles.
• To determine the relationship between MCBC findings and clinical evaluations in children with developmental disabilities.
• To identify areas for improvement in the MCBC's sensitivity and the development of new behavior profiles.

Main Methods:

• Examined the association between the MCBC and clinical findings from interdisciplinary evaluations.
• Analyzed data from 217 children referred to a developmental disabilities clinic.
• Assessed MCBC scale means and behavior profile occurrences across demographic factors and diagnostic categories.

Main Results:

• Found few differences in MCBC scores based on demographic factors or broad diagnostic categories.
• Demonstrated a substantial association between the MCBC and clinically identified behavior problems.
• Observed a less substantial association with clinical findings of affective problems, indicating a need for enhanced sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• The MCBC demonstrates good construct validity for identifying behavior problems in developmentally disabled children.
• The MCBC may require augmentation to improve its sensitivity in detecting affective problems.
• There is potential for developing new MCBC behavior profiles to better represent clinically meaningful subgroups.