Validity of screening tools for emotional problems in school children.
BACKGROUND
Emotional problems in school children may result in low level of scholastic performance. The recognition of these disorders needs effective screening tools. The choice lies between self assessment tools or observation based tools. Majority of studies use screening tools based on parental or teachers' observation.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to compare a self-assessment based screening tool (general health questionnaire; GHQ) with a parental observation based screening tool (CPMS-Childhood Psychopathology Measurement Schedule).


METHODS
Two hundred and eighteen school children were selected through multistage random sampling. The study was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, all the students were administered six-item version of GHQ to screen for emotional problems. Raven's Progressive Matrices was administered to evaluate IQ. In the second stage, parents assessed their child's behavior using CPMS. In the third stage, all students were subjected for detailed clinical work-up.


METHODS
Criterion validity of the tools used and their comparison.


RESULTS
GHQ had high sensitivity and specificity compared to CPMS in relation to clinical interview.


CONCLUSIONS
It is found that GHQ is a better screening tool than CPMS in children aged between 13 and 14 years.
Begum
Shamshad
S
Department of Psychiatry, JJM Medical College, Davangere - 577 004, Karnataka, India.
Rao
K Nagaraja
KN
Sudarshan
C Y
CY