DSM-Oriented Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report in Clinically Referred Spanish Children

The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) is an example of the efforts to integrate categorical and dimensional assessment methods. The latest editions of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) included the DSM-Oriented Scales, constructed in rational manner based on the items making up these inventories. Objective: To analyze the psychometric properties of the DSM-Oriented Scales of the CBCL and YSR. Method: A clinical sample of 420 children and adolescents (aged 8-17 years) was assessed with the CBCL and YSR, with a structured diagnostic interview and with measures of functional impairment to study the reliability and validity of the DSM-Oriented Scales. Results: Internal consistency ranged from moderate to good for all the scales except the DSM-Anxiety Problems Scale. Agreement between parents and children ranged between moderate and low values. Kappa coefficients showed moderate agreement in the different symptoms. The DSM-Oriented Scales presented acceptable diagnostic power for DSM-IV disorders and a significant relationship with measures of functional impairment. Conclusion: The DSM-Oriented Scales constitute a useful approach from the dimensional model to the DSM-IV disorders in Spanish clinical population.