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The aberrant behavior checklist with children and adolescents with dual diagnosis

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Abstract

The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC; Aman, Singh, Stewart, & Field, 1985a, 1985b) is a 58-item third-party informant rating scale originally developed for institutionalized, low-functioning adolescents and adults. The present study investigated the appropriateness of the scale for youngsters with dual diagnosis of mental retardation and psychiatric disturbance. Over a period of 2 1/2 years, 204 patients (199 after data reduction) from a child psychiatry unit were rated twice daily by direct care staff. Data analysis addressed internal consistency, interrater reliability, criterion validity, and robustness of the factor structure. Internal consistency was satisfactory with alpha coefficients ranging from. 82 to .94. Interrater reliability varied between subscales but was relatively low (Pearson correlations between .39 to .61). In terms of its criterion validity, the ABC was sensitive to psychiatric diagnoses and age and the original 5-factor structure was robust (congruence coefficients ranged between .80 to .89). Yet, only a relatively small proportion of the variance (31.5%) was explained by factor analysis indicating possible limitations of the ABC for this population. Given the paucity of assessment instruments for this particular population and the difficulty involved in developing new population-specific instruments, the ABC can be recommended for children and adolescents with dual diagnosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nisonger Center for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, The Ohio State University, 1581 Dodd Drive, 43210, Columbus, Ohio

    Johannes Rojahn

  2. Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, USA

    William J. Helsel

Authors
  1. Johannes Rojahn
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  2. William J. Helsel
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Additional information

Preparation of this manuscript was supported by grants from the U.S. Office of Human Development Services (grant 07 DD 0270/16) and the Maternal and Child Health Service (Training Project 922) awarded to the Nisonger Center for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, The Ohio State University. The authors extend their appreciation to Denise Frank and the entire direct care staff of the John Merck Program for their collaboration, to Robert G. Jones for his assistance in data analysis, Sidney S. Sims for computer programming, and Michael G. Aman and Nirbhay N. Singh for critical comments on earlier drafts of the paper.

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Rojahn, J., Helsel, W.J. The aberrant behavior checklist with children and adolescents with dual diagnosis. J Autism Dev Disord 21, 17–28 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02206994

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