Abstract
The Treatment Outcome Package for children and adolescents (TOP) is a behavioral health and well-being assessment used widely in clinical and child welfare populations. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Child and Adolescent versions of the TOP with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with a community sample. Children and adolescents (N = 203) 3–18 years of age from a community sample completed the CBCL, the SDQ, and the TOP. Significant correlations emerged between the TOP and theoretically similar scales on the SDQ and the CBCL. Analyses demonstrated that the TOP has excellent concurrent validity on most subscales with both the CBCL and the SDQ. These results provide additional evidence for the TOP’s utility and validity as a measure of psychological well-being and functioning.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded in part by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Duke Endowment. We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in this report are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these foundations.
Funding
This research was funded in part by the Annie E. Casey Foundation (Grant No. 212.0369) and the Duke Endowment (Grant No. 1935-SP).
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Author David R. Kraus is the developer and owner of the Treatment Outcome Package.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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All data were de-identified throughout the duration of the study and participants remained completely anonymous. Therefore, this study met the criterion of exempt status with regard to an IRB review and did not require informed consent from participants.
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Baxter, E.E., Alexander, P.C., Kraus, D.R. et al. Concurrent Validation of the Treatment Outcome Package (TOP) for Children and Adolescents. J Child Fam Stud 25, 2415–2422 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0419-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0419-4