title: Brief report: Accuracy of a 16-item questionnaire based on the HEADSS approach (QBH-16) in the screening of mental disorders in adolescents with behavioral problems in secondary care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Compare a questionnaire based on the HEADSS approach (QBH-16) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in the screening of mental disorder in adolescents with behavioral problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents from both genders 12-17 years-old presenting behavioral problems without a previous diagnosis of mental disorder were referred from primary services to a specialized outpatient program for adolescent behavioral problems and evaluated with the QBH-16, CBCL, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. This program is located in a secondary and tertiary university hospital, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, in the capital city of the southernmost state of Brazil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  98 adolescents and their families were interviewed. Scores > or =9 in the QBH-16 had a likelihood ratio (LR) >5.5 and scores under 6 had a LR of 0.13, identifying adequately 62 patients (71%) according to the CBCL. Cognitive performance was similar among all patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest the QBH-16 has a good accuracy for screening mental disorders and may help prioritize or choose which patients will benefit from psychiatric services.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Adolescent Behavioral Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. lilianhagel@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Lilian Day
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Hagel
authors.forename: Alberto Scolfano
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mainieri
authors.forename: Cristian Patrick
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Zeni
authors.forename: Mario Bernardes
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010045:Outpatients; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*