Long-Term
Stability of CBCL Scores in Boys with ADHD
Led
by ADHD expert Joseph Biederman, a team of Harvard University
researchers tested the stability of CBCL scores obtained over
a 4-year interval for boys diagnosed as having ADHD. The boys
were initially seen either in a pediatric psychopharmacology
program at Massachusetts General Hospital or in the pediatric
service of a Health Maintenance Organization. They unequivocally
met DSM-III-R criteria for ADHD and participated in a thorough
longitudinal study that yielded findings reported in numerous
publications. The Harvard team performed many analyses of
relations between the boys' initial CBCL scores and their
scores 4 years later, including intraclass correlations (ICCs),
Pearson correlations, kappa coefficients, odds ratios, and
comparisons of profiles of mean scores. Based on high levels
of consistency between CBCL scores, the researchers "found
good evidence for the stability of both the clinical and competence
scales of the CBCL as well as for its composite Internalizing,
Externalizing, and Total Problems scales over a 4-year period.
In addition to group stability, the robust findings obtained
from ICCs and kappa coefficients document substantial stability
over time within individuals. These results support the informativeness
of the CBCL as a useful measure of longitudinal course in
clinical samples of youth with ADHD" (p. 501). Biederman
et al. also cited findings from studies of community samples
showing highly stable CBCL scores.
Reference:
Biederman, J., Monuteaux, M.C., Greene, R.W., Braaten, E.,
Doyle, A.E., & Faraone, S.V. (2001). Long-term stability
of the Child Behavior Checklist in a clinical sample of youth
with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal
of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 492-502.
