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.
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.
Hagel
Lilian Day
LD
Outpatient Adolescent Behavioral Program, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. lilianhagel@terra.com.br
Mainieri
Alberto Scolfano
AS
Zeni
Cristian Patrick
CP
Wagner
Mario Bernardes
MB
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*