title: Interrater reliability of the DSM-III-R with preschool children.
abstract: Little attention has been paid to evaluating the use of DSM-III-R with preschool children. Children (N = 510) ages 2 to 5 years who were screened at the time of a pediatric visit were selected to participate in an evaluation which included questionnaires, a semistructured interview, developmental testing, and a play observation. Following the evaluation, two clinical child psychologists independently assigned DSM-III-R diagnoses. For each diagnostic category, kappa and Y coefficients were calculated; Y coefficients are less sensitive to base rates of disorders. For overall agreement, the weighted mean kappa (.61), and mean Y (.66) were moderately high. Overall agreement that the child had at least one of the disruptive disorders was substantial (kappa = .64; Y = .65); agreement that there was at least one of the emotional disorders was moderate for kappa (.54), but substantial for Y (.70). Kappa coefficients were higher for major categories of disorder than for specific disorders; however, Y coefficients did not show a decline for specific disorders. Interrater reliability of DSM-III-R appears to be similar for preschoolers and older children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry #10, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois 60614.
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Lavigne
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arend
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sinacore
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cicchetti
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Binns
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Christoffel
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hayford
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGuire
mesh_terms: D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D002666:Psychology, Child; D015203:Reproducibility of Results