Abstract
This study examined the correlation between the Childrens' Behavior Questionnaire by Rutter, Tizard, and Whitmore (1970) and clinical diagnoses in a total of 1,468 in-and outpatients. The following diagnoses were considered: conduct disorder, emotional disorder, mixed disorder of conduct and emotions, and the hyperkinetic syndrome. In general, correlations were low, but subscores indicating conduct or neurotic disorders had somewhat higher correlation with these respective disorders than the hyperactivity subscore. Sensitivity figures (i.e., percentage of true positives) were moderate to low, while specificity figures (i.e., percentage of true negatives) were high. It is concluded that convergence of parent checklists and child psychiatric diagnoses in unselected samples is only moderate.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach, T. M., & Edelbrock, C. S. (1981). Behavioral problems and competencies reported by parents of normal and disturbed children aged four through sixteen.Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 46 (Serial No. 188).
Kazdin, A. E., & Heidish, I. E. (1984). Convergence of clinically derived diagnoses and parent checklists among inpatient children.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 421–436.
Kleining, G., & Moore, H. (1968). Soziale Selbsteinstufung.Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, 20, 502–552.
Quay, H. C. (1977). Measuring dimensions of deviant behavior: The Behavior Problem Checklist.Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 5, 277–287.
Rutter, M., Tizard, J., & Whitmore, K. (1970).Education, health and behavior. London: Longman.
Schachar, R., Rutter, M., & Smith, A. (1981). The characteristics of situationally and pervasively hyperactive children: Implications for syndrome definition.Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 375–392.
Steinhausen, H.-C., & Göbel, D. (1985). The validity of the hyperkinetic syndrome. A study in child psychiatric clinic attenders.European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 235, 122–128.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Steinhausen, H.C., Göbel, D. Convergence of parent checklists and child psychiatric diagnoses. J Abnorm Child Psychol 15, 147–151 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00916472
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00916472