Daily behavior ratings among child and adolescent inpatients: the abbreviated Child Behavior Rating Form.
OBJECTIVE
Child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient facilities are in need of standardized behavior rating scales to assess continuous change in patient behaviors. This study used daily staff ratings to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Child Behavior Rating Form (CBRF-A).


METHODS
Three hundred eighty-seven inpatients, aged 3 to 17 years, were rated daily by unit staff. Subsamples of patients and/or their parents completed additional measures of behavior problems (Child Behavior Checklist, Functional Impairment Scale for Children and Adolescents) to assess the instrument's validity.


RESULTS
Confirmatory factor analyses identified 5 behavior problem dimensions (Oppositionalism, Attention Problems, Overactivity, Withdrawal/Depression, and Anxiety), a second-order Externalizing dimension, and 2 positive behavior dimensions (Positive/Adaptive Social and Compliance/Self-Control). The scales were found to be internally consistent and showed expected age differences, and the scale factor structures were relatively stable over 1- and 2-week intervals. The scales correlated meaningfully with parent ratings of child behavior problems and functional impairment and were predictive of total hospital days.


CONCLUSIONS
The psychometric properties of the CBRF-A appear adequate for daily inpatient rating; additional research is needed to determine the usefulness of the CBRF-A in assessing treatment and medication effects over the hospital stay.
Van Egeren
L A
LA
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA. vanegere@pilot.msu.edu
Frank
S J
SJ
Paul
J S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity