Achenbach system of empirically based assessment

Running head: EVALUATION OF TECHNICAL QUALITY 8

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Assessment 2: Evaluation of Technical Quality
This worksheet contains three sections:

· Section One: Purpose and Intended Population of Selected Test.

· Section Two: Technical Review - Reliability of Selected Test.

· Section Three: Technical Review - Validity of Selected Test.

· Section Four: Synthesis and Conclusion about Selected Test’s Psychometrics.

· Section Five: Resources (APA Style).

Section One: Purpose and Intended Population of Selected Test
Use the Mental Measurements Yearbook reviews, publisher Web sites, and peer-reviewed journal articles to obtain information about your one selected test*.

Selected Test

Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment

Purpose of Test

The purpose of ASEBA is to measure mental capabilities, the ability to function, and to target specific issues (Achenbach, 2014).

Intended Population

18 mos.- 90 years old

* in some cases, you may find limited published work on the most recent version of a standardized test. In those instances, you are allowed to review and report on more than one version for the purpose of this assessment. For example, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 2 and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales 3.

Section Two: Technical Review – Reliability of Selected Test
Use the Capella library to search for peer reviewed journal articles that provide evidence for the reliability of your selected test. Locate, review and report on three or more peer reviewed journal articles which address at least one type of reliability.

Article Name and Author(s)

(Full reference in Section Five)

Type(s) of Reliability

(e.g. test-retest, alternate forms, internal consistency, and inter-scorer or inter-rater).

Statistic(s)

Reported (e.g., Pearson r correlation, or item-reliability index). Report values (e.g., .90, .80, .70, etc.).

Qualitative Interpretation

(e.g. strong, moderate, or weak).

Evidence Supporting Use of Test Y/N

1. “Multicultural assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology with ASEBA and SDQ instruments: research findings, applications, and future directions,” by Thomas Achenbach, Andreas Becker, Manfred Dopfner, Veit Roesner, Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, and Aribert Rothernberger.

Internal consistency

Internal consistencies were significant for every set of scales in US samples. This includes total problems, internalizing/externalizing, and DSM-Oriented Scales.

Strong

.

Yes

2. “DSM- Oriented Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self- Report in clinically referred Spanish children,” by Montserrat Lacalle, Lourdes Ezpeleta, and Josep M. Domenech.

Internal consistency

Internal consistencies varied from moderate to good for every scale excluding the DSM-Anxiety Problems Scale. The concurrence between mothers/fathers and children wavered between temperate and low standards. Kappa measurements displayed a temperate agreement in the diverse symptoms. The DSM-Oriented Scales exhibited adequate analytical power for DSM-IV anarchies and a substantial association with measures of functional impairment.

Strong

Yes

3. “Negative Events in Childhood Predict Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms Up to Young Adulthood: An 18-Year Longitudinal Study” by Maria Melchior, Evelyne Touchette, Elena Prokogyeva, Aude Chollet, Eric Fombonne, Gullzar Elidemir, Cedric Galera.

Test Re-test

Destructive childhood experiences were linked to an amplified probability of concurrent suppressing symptoms that are sometimes continued into adulthood. In addition, certain destructive experiences are mostly connected with the continuum of internalizing by children.

Moderate

Yes

Section Three: Technical Review – Validity of Selected Test
Use the Capella library to search for peer reviewed journal articles that provide evidence for the validity of your selected test. Locate, review and report on three or more peer reviewed journal articles which address at least one type of validity.

Article Name and Author(s)

(Full reference in Section Five)

Type(s) of Validity

(e.g. test-retest, alternate forms, internal consistency, and inter-scorer or inter-rater).

Statistic(s)

Reported (e.g., Pearson r correlation, or item-reliability index). Report values (e.g., .90, .80, .70, etc.).

Qualitative Interpretation

(strong, moderate, or weak).

Evidence Supporting Use of Test Y/N

1. “Multicultural assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology with ASEBA and SDQ instruments: research findings, applications, by Thomas Achenbach, Andreas Becker, Manfred Dopfner, Veit Roesner, Hans-Christoph Steinhausen, and Aribert Rothernberger.and future directions,”

Content validity

Criterion related validity

Construct validity

The problem pieces of the CBCL, TRF, and YSR were developed to top a broad spectrum of issues that are able to be reported by the parents, teachers, and children without any interference.

Discriminated between considered to need mental health and other related services vs. demographically analogous children who are deemed not to require such services.

Strong

Yes

2. “Validity of the DSM-Oriented Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report,” by Montserrat Lacalle Sisteré, Josep Mª Domènech Massons, Roser Granero Pérez and Lourdes Ezpeleta Ascaso.

Incremental Validity

“The DSM-Oriented scales showed significant incremental validity in conjunction with the Empirical Syndrome scales for discriminating DSM-IV diagnoses, and considerable incremental validity in conjunction with the diagnoses obtained through the diagnostic interview for predicting the level of functional impairment (Sisteré, Massons, Pérez, and Ascaso).”

Strong

Yes

3. “The Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders Is Sensitive but Not Specific in Identifying Anxiety in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Comparison to the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Scales,” by W. David Lohr, Katherine Daniels, Tim Weimken, P. Gail Williams, Robert R. Kelley, Grace Kuravackel, and Lonnie Sears.

Criterion- Concurrent

The purpose of this test was to revise a clinically acceptable instrument evaluating anxiety symptoms in the autism spectrum disorder population.

In order to make this study valid it scrutinized the relationship of SCARED- child and parent forms in a community of children with autism spectrum disorder (that did not have an intellectual disability) with the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment tools of global psychopathology CBCL, YSR, and TRF.

Strong

Yes

Evaluation of Technical Quality

Miracle Workmon

PSY- FP7610

September 14, 2017

Professor Krista Krebs

Synthesis of Reliability

Psychology is the study of the human intellect and its brain functions which affect behavior. Although the given definition is quite simple the meaning and understanding behind it is quite vast. There are many things that play a part in the world of psychology for example tests and measurements. The purpose of tests and measurements is to measure differences among individuals. In order to measure said differences the tests that are administered typically involves a set of items or questions that require a person to give a reply. In addition, this allows one to assess cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. One extremely essential part of psychological testing is reliability. According to the Webster dictionary the definition of reliability is the extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials. In addition, the definition of reliability according to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing is the extent to which test scores for a group of test takers are constant when repeated applications of a measurement process are concluded to be reliable and dependable for a single test taker. This form or reliability is called test-retest. There are also three other forms of reliability which are alternate forms, split half, and internal consistency. The test that was chosen for further understanding is the ASEBA which is also known as the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment. The three articles that were opted for review are “Multicultural assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology with ASEBA and SDQ instruments: research findings, applications, and future directions,” “DSM- Oriented Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report in clinically referred Spanish children,” and “Negative Events in Childhood predict Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms Up to Young Adulthood: An 18- Year Longitudinal Study.”

The multicultural assessment used internal consistency which means that one test was given at one time as well as compared to other items. This test compared empirically based syndromes, DSM-oriented scales, internalizing and externalizing, and total problems by using the child behavior check list, teacher report form, and youth self-reports. A table of the author’s findings is also given on page 257 of this article. The DSM-Oriented Scales of the CBCL and Youth Self-Report in clinically referred Spanish children uses internal consistency as well. All of the DSM- Oriented Scales expressed internal consistency ranging from good to moderate excluding DSM/Anxiety problems. Cronbach’s alpha and agreement for the DSM-oriented scales of the CBCL and YSR compared the Spanish samples with the Achenbach and Rescorla study (Lacalle, Ezpeleta, and Domenech). The accordance betwixt retorts to the CBCL and YSR in the entries forming each DSM- Oriented scale was overall minor to weak. This generally means the elements of the DSM- Affective Problems Scale demonstrated an average of good agreement, the elements of the DSM- Somatic Problems Scale moderate agreement, those of the DSM- Attention deficit/Hyperactivity Problems and DSM- Behavior Problems Scales were between moderate to weak, and the articles of the DSM- Anxiety Problems and DSM- Oppositional Defiant Problems Scales expressed low agreement. The uppermost Kappa standards were dispersed erratically in diverse DSM- Oriented Scales (Lacalle, Ezpeleta, and Domenech).

“Childhood Predict Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms Up to Young Adulthood: An 18-Year Longitudinal Study” by Maria Melchior, Evelyne Touchette, Elena Prokogyeva, Aude Chollet, Eric Fombonne, Gullzar Elidemir, Cedric Galera is a test that focuses on test- retest reliability. In order, to make this test relevant and reliable the test makers evaluated negative childhood events and potential covariates associated with internalizing symptoms trajectories multiple instances explaining that traumatic experiences in childhood were correlated to the probability of undergoing continually high internalizing symptoms. According to their findings children older than ten years of age were more likely to have high decreasing and less likely to have low increasing levels.

Synthesis of Validity

Validity requires a test to measure what it is pronounces to measure. There are several forms of validity such as content, concurrent, predictive, and construct. The tests on multicultural assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology with ASEBA and SDQ instruments: research findings, applications not only exemplify reliability, but content validity as well. Content validity describes if an instrument’s items signify what its expected to asses. The child behavior checklist, teacher report form and youth self-report of ASEBA was created to tap a broad scale of issues. These problems are expected to be able to be narrated by a child’s parents/guardians, teachers, and children themselves. Results on multiple disorders, DSM-oriented scales, total problems, internalizing, and externalizing have been extremely higher for children that were clinically referred more so than those who were not post controlled demographics (Achenbach, 2008).

“Validity of the DSM-Oriented Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report”, is a analytical evaluation of youth used to determine if there is any psychopathology to ascertain variances. The purpose of this test was to study incremental validity of ASEBA DSM-Oriented scales in over ASEBA Empirical Syndromes scales for envisaging DICA-IV disarrays. There were several links between DSM-Oriented scales and Empirical Syndrome scales attained arithmetical importance. For the CBCL, the strongest correlations were for DSM-Oppositional insolent difficulties and belligerent behavior and between DSM

Comportment Problems and rule-breaking behavior. As far as the Youth self-report, correspondences with an exceptional outcome size were between DSM-ADD/ADHD challenges, DSM- Oppositional Defiant Problems and Attention Problems and DSM-Affective Problems and Withdrawal/Depressed Syndrome (Sistere, Massons, Perez, and Ascaso, (2014).

“The Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders Is Sensitive but Not Specific in Identifying Anxiety in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Comparison to the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment Scales” is the last of three tests chosen to describe validity of the ASEBA. The purpose of this test was to assess short, quantifiable acceptable instrument measuring anxiety indicators in the ASD population. This journal article discusses criterion: concurrent validity. The purpose of this test was to revise a clinically acceptable instrument evaluating anxiety symptoms in the autism spectrum disorder population. In order to make this study valid it observed the parallels of SCARED- child and parent forms in a community of children with autism spectrum disorder (that did not have an intellectual disability) with the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment tools of global psychopathology CBCL, YSR, and TRF.

Conclusion

The purpose of the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment is to measure mental capabilities, the ability to function, and to target specific issues (Achenbach, 2014). This assessment describes its four assessment levels such as the preschool assessment, school-aged assessment, adult assessment, and the older adult assessment. Each level tests different aspects of behavior such as emotionally reactive, apprehensiveness, depression, and withdrawal. According to the three tests that were selected each discuss the different ways that parts of the ASEBA can be used and how beneficial it can be as well. The purpose of the child behavior checklist, teacher report forms, and youth self- report is to gain the parents, teachers, and children’s perspective on the behaviors. The Achenbach system of empirically based assessment is used to classify problematic behaviors which can help identify mental health disorders. Some of the content entailed in this assessment focuses on the behavior of a child from a parent/guardian or teacher point of view evaluating the behavior strengths of the child (Achenbach, 2015). ASEBA is also used to determine behavior problems that happen often. This test is extremely appropriate in evaluating a child’s behavior to understand exactly why a child behaves the way they do. By doing so the child will be able to get the help that he or she needs.

Resources

Achenbach, T., Becker, A., Dopfner, M., & Roessner, V. (2008, April). Multicultural

assessment of child and adolescent psychopathology with ASEBA and SDQ instruments: research findings, applications, and future directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Achenbach, T. M., Rescorla, L. A., Conaughey, S. H., Pecora, P. J., Wetherbee, K. M., Ruffle,

T. M., & Newhouse, P. A. (1980-2015). Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment. Retrieved from Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print.

Achenbach, T. (2015). Multicultural evidence-based assessment using the achenbach system of

empirically based assessment (ASEBA) for ages 1½-90+. Retrieved from ProQuest.

Lacalle, M., Ezpeleta, L., & Domenech, J. M. (2012). DSM- Oriented Scales of the Child

Behavior Checklist and Youth Self- Report in clinically referred Spanish children. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 377-387.

Lacalle, M., Domenech, J. M., Perez, R., & Ezpeleta, L. (2014). Validity of the DSM-Oriented

Scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self-Report. Psicothema, 26(3).

Lohr, W. D., Daniels, K., Wiemken, T., Williams, P. G., Kelley, R. R., Kuravackel, G., &

Sears, L. (2017, August 2). The Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders Is Sensitive but Not Specific in Identifying Anxiety in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Comparison to the Ache.

Melchior, M., Touchette, E., Prokofyeva, E., Chollet, A., Fombonne, E., Elidemir, G., &

Galera, C. (2014, December 8). Negative Events in Childhood Predict Trajectories of Internalizing Symptoms Up to Young Adulthood: An 18-Year Longitudinal Study.