Use of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist in a low-income, Mexican American population.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the usefulness of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) in identifying behavioral problems in low-income, Mexican American children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study design was used to examine the PSC as a screening test, with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as the criterion standard.


METHODS
The study was conducted at a health center in a diverse low-income community. Patients Eligible patients were children and adolescents, 4 to 16 years of age, who were seen for nonemergent, well-child care. Of 253 eligible children during a 9-month study period, 210 agreed to participate in the study. There was a 100% completion rate of the questionnaires. The average age of the children was 7.5 years, and 45% were female. Ninety-five percent of patients were of Hispanic descent (Mexican American); 86% of families spoke only Spanish. Socioeconomic status was low (more than three fourths of families earned <$20 000 annually).


RESULTS
The CBCL Total scale determined that 27 (13%) of the children had clinical levels of behavioral problems. With a cutoff score of 24, the PSC screened 2 (1%) of the 210 children as positive for behavioral problems. Using the CBCL as the criterion standard, the PSC sensitivity was 7.4%, and the specificity was 100%. Receiver operator characteristic analysis determined that a PSC cutoff score of 12 most correctly classified children with and without behavioral problems (sensitivity, 0.74; specificity, 0.94).


CONCLUSIONS
When using the PSC, a new cutoff score of 12 for clinical significance should be considered if screening low-income, Mexican American children for behavioral problems. Additional study is indicated to determine the causes of the PSC's apparently lower sensitivity in Mexican American populations.
Jutte
Douglas P
DP
Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Burgos
Anthony
A
Mendoza
Fernando
F
Ford
Christine Blasey
CB
Huffman
Lynne C
LC
D000293:Adolescent; D002140:California / Q000208:ethnology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003710:Demography; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires