[Evaluation of the validity of Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children IV (DISC IV) in the city of Buenos Aires].
The epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents has received little attention in Argentina. One of the problems related to the scarcity of such epidemiological research is linked to the lack of availability of diagnostic interview instruments which have been locally validated.


OBJECTIVE
The object of the study was to conduct a validation study of the DISC IV (Spanish version), administered by lay interviewers in the City of Buenos Aires.


METHODS
The sample was obtained from the Hospital de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez" in the City of Buenos Aires. Lay interviewers administered the DISC IV to 116 youngsters. Then psychiatrists re-administered the DISC IV a week later and immediately afterwards conducted a semi-structured diagnostic clinical interview. Participant in the sample ranged in age from 9 to 17.


RESULTS
The sensitivity was 81.5% and the specificity 66.1%. The test-retest reliability was reasonable (Kappa 0.46 standard error 0.09).


CONCLUSIONS
In general, the DISC administered by the non-professional interviewer was demonstrated to have the ability to discriminate between youngsters who suffer from psychiatric disorders and healthy youngsters. The confidence level was from moderate to good for the presence of a general psychiatric disorder as well as for disorders of specific states of mind, but for anxiety disorders and behaviour disorders the confidence level was poor.
Kunst
Gabriel
G
kues@datamarkets.com.ar
Blidner
Jorge
J
Esrubilsky
Valentina
V
Longarela
Hugo
H
Vega
Estela
E
D000293:Adolescent; D001118:Argentina; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014504:Urban Health