title: Inter-rater reliability of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults in community accommodation settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the publication of the Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults (DBC-A), people of all ages with intellectual disability (ID) can now be assessed using a carer-completed screening checklist of emotional and behavioural disturbance. This provides a broad assessment framework across the life span, assists the process of clinical assessment, diagnosis and management, and, through efficient screening, helps ensure that people with ID and high levels of disturbed behaviour are more likely to receive the often scarce and costly behavioural and mental health services that are available. Earlier studies have reported acceptable results of test-retest reliability studies with family members and paid carers in community settings and the results of an inter-rater reliability study completed with family members. This study reports on another aspect of DBC-A reliability, inter-rater reliability with paid carers, in two small community-based accommodation settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 38 pairs of paid carers employed by two non-government agencies providing residential services in small group homes to 38 adults with ID in the community.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.69 (n = 38, 95% CI 0.54-0.86) was found between pairs of paid carers employed in small group homes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pairs of paid carers working with adults with ID in small group homes reliably completed DBC-A checklists. An ICC result of 0.69 compares favourably with the results of an earlier inter-rater study completed with the family members of people with ID living in the community. Inter-rater reliability on the six DBC-A sub-scales was also computed and the results were satisfactory.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The carer-completed DBC-A provides a broad and comprehensive survey of the emotional and behavioural problems of adults with ID. It has satisfactory psychometric properties, which have been further extended. The DBC-A can be used in clinical, research and service settings to assess psychopathology across the adult life span in people with ID.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia. caroline.mohr@monash.edu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tonge
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taffe
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rymill
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keating
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Einfeld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019958:Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D057189:Checklist / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D016352:Group Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015588:Observer Variation; D018579:Patient Selection; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult