Evidence-based assessment in pediatric psychology: measures of psychosocial adjustment and psychopathology.
OBJECTIVE
To provide an evidence-based review of measures of psychosocial adjustment and psychopathology, with a specific focus on their use in the field of pediatric psychology.


METHODS
As part of a larger survey of pediatric psychologists from the Society of Pediatric Psychology e-mail listserv (American Psychological Association, APA, Division 54), 37 measures were selected for this psychometric review. Measures that qualified for the review fell into one of the following three categories: (a) internalizing or externalizing rating scales, (b) broad-band rating scales, and (c) self-related rating scales.


RESULTS
Psychometric characteristics (i.e., three types of reliability, two types of validity) were strong for the majority of measures reviewed, with 34 of the 37 measures meeting "well-established" evidence-based assessment (EBA) criteria. Strengths and weaknesses of existing measures were noted.


CONCLUSIONS
Recommendations for future work in this area of assessment are presented, including suggestions that more fine-grained EBA criteria be developed and that evidence-based "profiles" be devised for each measure.
Holmbeck
Grayson N
GN
Loyola University Chicago, Department of Psychology, 6525 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60626, USA. gholmbe@luc.edu
Thill
Azure Welborn
AW
Bachanas
Pamela
P
Garber
Judy
J
Miller
Karen Bearman
KB
Abad
Mona
M
Bruno
Elizabeth Franks
EF
Carter
Jocelyn Smith
JS
David-Ferdon
Corinne
C
Jandasek
Barbara
B
Mennuti-Washburn
Jean E
JE
O'Mahar
Kerry
K
Zukerman
Jill
J
D002648:Child; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011599:Psychopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012917:Social Adjustment