title: Validation of an Arabic multi-informant psychiatric diagnostic interview for children and adolescents: development and Well Being Assessment-Arabic (DAWBA-Arabic).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Countries in the Arab region lack a valid Arabic psychiatric diagnostic interview for children and adolescents. We set out to establish the diagnostic validity of the Arabic version of the Development and Well Being Assessment (DAWBA-Arabic), a multi-informant structured interview for predicting DSM-IV-TR diagnoses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The DAWBA was translated, updated, and administered to 45 participants (child and adolescent psychiatric outpatients and their parents) as part of a clinic registry. Two clinicians, blinded to their respective diagnoses, formulated the DAWBA diagnoses. Participants also underwent a clinical evaluation by a child and adolescent psychiatrist who generated clinical diagnoses according to the DSM-IV-TR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inter-rater reliabilities were .93, .82, and .72 for disruptive disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders respectively. Agreement between DAWBA and clinical diagnoses was substantial for disruptive disorders (κ=.0.82) and mood disorders (κ=0.74), and moderate for anxiety disorders (κ=0.46).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The DAWBA-Arabic could serve as a valid and reliable clinical tool for assessing psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents in the Arab region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Beirut, Lebanon; School of Social and Behavioral Science, Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zeinoun
authors.forename: Souha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bawab
authors.forename: Mia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atwi
authors.forename: Nayla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hariz
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tavitian
authors.forename: Mounir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khani
authors.forename: Ziad
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Nahas
authors.forename: Fadi T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Maalouf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D018912:Arabs; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014177:Translations