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A structured pictorial questionnaire to assess DSM-III-R-based diagnoses in children (6–11 years): Development, validity, and reliability

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Abstract

This paper presents a structured pictorial instrument, the Dominic questionnaire, to assess mental disorders in 6- to 11-year-old children. Ninety-nine drawings represent situations corresponding to DSM-III-R based ADHD, CD, ODD, MDD, SAD, OAD, and SPh. However, cognitive limitation of 6- to 11-year-old children do not allow for time-related measurement. The instrument takes 15–20 min to administer. Reliability and validity of the Dominic questionnaire were studied in Parent DISC-2 positive and negative outpatient and general population samples and against clinical judgement. The pictorial approach provides acceptable test-retest reliability and the instrument makes standardized assessment possible for children as young as 6 years of age.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Riviere-des-Prairies, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Jean -Pierre Valla M. D., M. Sc.

  2. Research Department, Riviere-des-Prairies, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Jean -Pierre Valla M. D., M. Sc.

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Huguette Bérubé

  4. Research Department, Riviere-des-Prairies Hospital, 7070 Perras Blvd., H1E 1A4, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Lise Bergeron, Nathalie Gaudet & Marie St-Georges

Authors
  1. Jean -Pierre Valla M. D., M. Sc.
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  2. Lise Bergeron
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  3. Huguette Bérubé
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  4. Nathalie Gaudet
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  5. Marie St-Georges
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Additional information

This investigation was supported by the National Health Research and Development Program (Ottawa) grant #6605-2780-42. The authors wish to thank L. Houde and S. Lepine for their collaboration and J. J. Breton, P. Cohen, K. Minde, K. Munir, and D. Shaffer for their suggestions and editorial comments.

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Valla, J.P., Bergeron, L., Bérubé, H. et al. A structured pictorial questionnaire to assess DSM-III-R-based diagnoses in children (6–11 years): Development, validity, and reliability. J Abnorm Child Psychol 22, 403–423 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02168082

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