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A Comparison of Self-Report Measures to Screen for Mental Health Concerns in Youth

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Abstract

Universal screening continues to be a missed opportunity for addressing mental health in schools. The current study compared three separate self-report screening tools: the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Third Edition: Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BASC-3 BESS), Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Screener (YIEPS), and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Self-Report Impact Supplement (SDQ-IS). The performance of the YIEPS, which combines the Youth Internalizing Problems Screener (YIPS) and Youth Externalizing Problems Screener (YEPS), was examined as two separate measures (i.e., the YIPS and YEPS), as well as one composite measure (i.e., the YIEPS) to determine its most effective use. The SDQ-IS was included to evaluate the performance of a screener of self-reported impairment (SDQ-IS) relative to screeners of self-reported symptom count (YIEPS and BASC-3 BESS). Participants included 400 youth in grades 6–12 attending a charter school system in Louisiana. Analyses included evaluating concurrent validity and classification accuracy for the screening tools (i.e., sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value). For the latter analyses, the BASC-3 BESS was the criterion measure to which the other measures were compared. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were run, treating the BASC-3 BESS as the anchor variable, to evaluate cut scores for the YIPS, YEPS, YIEPS, and SDQ-IS. Results found the screening tools to be comparable in performance, identifying a similar proportion of students as at-risk. The YIPS and the YEPS performed best when administered together as the YIEPS, as the YEPS by itself displayed low sensitivity in identifying students in need of services.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA

    Jacob L. DeBoer & Anna C. J. Long

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DeBoer, J.L., Long, A.C.J. A Comparison of Self-Report Measures to Screen for Mental Health Concerns in Youth. School Mental Health 16, 25–40 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-023-09615-9

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