Improving Measurement of Child Psychopathology

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的几年里，我有 研究了儿童的诊断筛查和精神病诊断方法， 青少年。这项工作包括创建DSM-IV兼容版本的 儿童诊断面谈时间表（DISC-IV）和DISC 预测量表（DPS）以及调查自我报告的科学， 并了解症状报告不可靠背后的机制。我 研究了计算机化自我评估的价值，无论是作为一个更 收集某些类型信息的敏感方法， 公共卫生精神病学和流行病学研究的有用工具。在 除了现有的旨在改善环境的实验性方法方面的工作之外， 诊断评估的可靠性和正在进行的开发计划， 心理测试的诊断筛选工具，这独立 科学家奖将使我能够回答有关 儿童精神病理学测量的有效性。将研究三个领域： 1.幼儿诊断：尽管临床和流行病学 确定准确诊断状态的方法和技术 缺乏。通过对120名幼儿园教师的多通道纵向效度研究， 来自儿科初级保健人群的儿童，其目的是： 研究诊断所需的症状和背景信息; 准确评估所需的诊断方法和方案;评估 DSM-IV和替代诊断算法的预测有效性;以及 检查不同线人提供的信息的相对价值， 优化合成方法。2. Audio-CASI：计算机化 音频自我采访（A-CAST）已被证明产量增加 报告敏感症状。将审查这些报告的有效性 通过将药物/酒精使用报告与客观生物测定（头发 和尿液分析）对2，000名高危青少年进行了抽样调查。3.不一致报告： 重复测量的不可靠性是流行病学和 和治疗研究人员。不一致报告的预测有效性将 在300名社区青少年及其父母的样本中进行评估， 之前曾参加过一项重测研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): For the past number of years I have studied diagnostic screening and psychiatric diagnostic methods in children and adolescents. This work has included creation of DSM-IV compatible versions of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) and the DISC Predictive Scales (DPS) as well as investigating the science of self-report, and understanding the mechanisms behind unreliability of symptom reports. I have researched the value of computerized self-assessment, both as a more sensitive method of gathering certain types of information and as a uniquely useful tool for public health psychiatry and epidemiological research. In addition to existing work on experimental approaches aimed at improving the reliability of diagnostic assessment and an ongoing program of development and psychometric testing of diagnostic screening instruments, this Independent Scientist Award will enable me to answer important questions regarding the validity of measurement of child psychopathology. Three areas will be studied: 1. Diagnosis in young children: Despite strong clinical and epidemiological needs, the methods and techniques for determining accurate diagnostic status are lacking. Via a multi-modal longitudinal validity study of 120 pre-school children, derived from a pediatric primary care population, it is intended to: Study the necessary symptom and contextual information for diagnosis; Develop the diagnostic methods and protocols required for accurate assessment; Assess the predictive validity of DSM-IV and alternative diagnostic algorithms; and Examine the relative value of information from different informants and the optimal methods for its synthesis. 2. Audio-CASI: Computerized self-interviewing with audio (A-CAST) has been shown to yield increased reporting of sensitive symptoms. The validity of these reports will be examined by comparing reports of drug/alcohol usage to objective biological assays (hair and urinalysis) in a sample of 2,000 high-risk youth. 3. Discrepant reports: Unreliability in repeated measures is a major problem to both epidemiological and treatment researchers. The predictive validity of discrepant reports will be assessed in a sample of 300 community adolescents and their parents who previously had participated in a test-retest study.