Self-Reports on Mental Health Problems of Youth with Moderate to Borderline Intellectual Disabilities

• NCJ Number: 216047
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 45 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 1224-1231
• Author(s): Jolanda C.H. Douma M.A.; Marielle C. Dekker Ph.D.; Frank C. Verhulst M.D.; Hans M. Koot Ph.D.
• Date Published: October 2006
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement; Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study determined whether the Youth Self-Report (YSR) could identify emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents who had moderate to borderline intellectual disabilities (IDs).

Abstract

Overall, study findings support the use of the YSR to identify emotional and behavioral problems through self-reports of youth 11- to 18-years-old with an IQ of at least 48 without autism. The YSR was especially useful in identifying emotional and behavioral problems in youth with an IQ of 70 or greater. Although other studies have drawn similar conclusions for other self-report instruments on overall or specific types of psychopathology, this study is the first to provide a more precise indication of the intellectual requirements for completing the YSR, instead of referring to an ID level (e.g., mild or moderate). Compared with non-ID peers, the youth with IDs generally reported similar or lower problem scores. This finding differed from the commonly found higher problem scores for youth with IDs; however, most of the other studies relied on parent and/or teacher reports rather than self-reports. This suggests that separate norms are needed for youth with ID. Further research is required to refine and confirm these findings and the factor structure of the YSR in adolescents with ID and to distinguish between adolescents with moderate and mild IDs. The study involved 281 11- to 18-year-olds with IDs (IQ of 48 or higher). They completed the YSR in an interview in 2003. In 1993, 1,047 non-ID adolescents completed the YSR without the use of an interviewer. Parents of the youth completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The ID sample was divided into those with lower IQ (48-69) and higher IQ (70 or greater). Cronbach's alpha values of the YSR scales and correlation coefficients between and within YSR and CBCL scale scores were calculated to determine parent-adolescent agreement. 3 tables and 37 references