title: First evaluation of a population-based screen to detect emotional-behavior disorders in orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa.
abstract: Due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has left 12 million children orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa, children are at increased risk for mental health problems. Currently, no validity data exist for any screening measure of emotional-behavior disorders in pre-adolescent children in Sub-Saharan Africa. The aims of the current study were to evaluate the construct validity of the caregiver-, teacher-, and self-report versions of the one-page Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in 466 orphans in South Africa between the ages of 7 and 11 (M age = 9.23 years, SD = 1.33, 51.93 % female) and to provide, for the first time, clinical cut-offs for this population. Findings demonstrated support for the caregiver SDQ, but not the teacher and self-report versions. We provide clinical cut-offs, but caution their use before further research is conducted. There remains a critical need for further psychometric studies of the SDQ in the developing world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA, csharp2@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venta
authors.forename: Lochner
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marais
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.forename: Molefi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenka
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serekoane
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D054540:Child, Orphaned / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty; D011594:Psychometrics; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires