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The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Revised Version (DISC-R): I. Preparation, field testing, interrater
D Shaffer1, M Schwab-Stone, P Fisher
1Division of Child Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032.
Summary
The revised Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) is a reliable tool for diagnosing child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. This updated instrument offers improved accuracy and is suitable for use by lay interviewers.
Area of Science:
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Psychometric Assessment
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) is a structured interview designed for lay interviewers to diagnose psychiatric disorders in youth.
- Previous versions required revision due to unreliable and undiscriminating items identified through clinical and community data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the historical development and assessment strategies employed in the investigation and revision of the DISC.
- To present the revised DISC as a tool for diagnosing common psychiatric disorders in childhood and adolescence.
Main Methods:
- Revision of the DISC was informed by clinical and community data, focusing on improving item reliability and discrimination.
- A field study involving 74 parent-child pairs was conducted to evaluate the revised instrument.
- Interrater reliability and patient acceptability were assessed.
Main Results:
- The revised DISC demonstrated high interrater reliability and was found to be acceptable to patients.
- Accompanying studies confirmed the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the instrument.
Conclusions:
- The revised DISC is an acceptable, brief, inexpensive, and convenient instrument for comprehensive child and adolescent diagnoses.
- Its methodological properties are comparable to existing child diagnostic instruments.