Validity of child psychiatric screening methods

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Developmental Psychology
• Epidemiological Research

Background:

• Accurate screening for child psychiatric disturbances is crucial for early intervention.
• Validation of existing screening instruments is essential for reliable clinical practice.
• Epidemiological studies provide valuable data on the prevalence of mental health issues in children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Rutter Parent Questionnaire (scale A2) and Teacher Questionnaire (scale B2), and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) using ROC-analysis.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of these instruments against structured diagnostic interviews (DISC).
• To determine the most effective screening tool for child psychiatric disturbances in a general population.

Main Methods:

• Validation of Parent Questionnaire (scale A2), Teacher Questionnaire (scale B2), and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis.
• Data collected from an epidemiological study of 5664 children aged 8-9 years.
• Screening results compared against parent, teacher, and child diagnostic interviews (DISC).

Main Results:

• The Teacher Questionnaire (scale B2) demonstrated the highest validity and discriminatory power for psychiatric disturbances.
• The Parent Questionnaire (scale A2) was also found to be a valid screening instrument.
• The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) is not supported as a sole screening instrument for child psychiatric disorders.

Conclusions:

• The Teacher Questionnaire (scale B2) is recommended for screening child psychiatric disturbances due to its superior validity.
• The Parent Questionnaire (scale A2) is a valid supplementary tool.
• Relying solely on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) for screening is not advisable.