title: Psychometric properties of a pictorial instrument for assessing psychopathology in youth aged 12 to 15 years: the Dominic Interactive for Adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Over the last 15 years, adequate psychometric properties of the different versions of the Dominic led to the development of the Dominic Interactive for Adolescents (DIA). The DIA is a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Fourth Edition, Text Revision-based self-administered computerized pictorial instrument for assessing the most frequent mental disorders in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years. Our study aims to verify the internal consistency, the test-retest estimate of reliability, and the criterion-related validity of this instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  The total sample included 607 adolescents living in the Montreal urban area recruited from the community (465 French-speaking) and the clinical population (142 French-speaking). Internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients and test-retest estimate of reliability by the kappas and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Two criteria are indicative of criterion-related validity of the DIA: clinical judgment on the presence or absence of symptoms (scored independently by 3 judges) and the adolescents' referrals to outpatient psychiatric clinics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For most symptom scales of the DIA, Cronbach's alpha coefficients varied from 0.69 to 0.89, test-retest kappas were 0.50 or greater, and ICCs ranged from 0.78 to 0.87. The criterion-related validity was demonstrated for symptoms, symptom scales, and the categories based on the symptom scale cut-off points.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As no informant can be considered the criterion standard of psychopathology, the interview with adolescents regarding their own symptoms is necessary. Findings from our study reasonably support adequate psychometric properties of the DIA in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years.
authors.affiliation: Research Unit, Rivière-des-Prairies Hospital and Fernand-Seguin Research Center, Montreal, Quebec. lise.bergeron.hrdp@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bergeron
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smolla
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Valla
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: St-Georges
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berthiaume
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piché
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011599:Psychopathology; D011792:Quebec; D015203:Reproducibility of Results