Psychometric properties and norms of the German ABC-Community and PAS-ADD Checklist

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 2431 - 2440
• Main Authors: Zeilinger, Elisabeth L., Weber, Germain, Haveman, Meindert J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: ABC; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Challenging behavior; Check Lists; Checklists; Comparative Analysis; Correlation; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental Disabilities - diagnosis; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Developmental Disabilities - psychology; Disability Evaluation; English language; Factor Structure; Factor structures; Female; German; Germany; Humans; Identification; Incidence; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual disability; Intellectual Disability - diagnosis; Intellectual Disability - epidemiology; Intellectual Disability - psychology; Language Tests - standards; Language Tests - statistics & numerical data; Male; Measures (Individuals); Medical sciences; Mental Disorders; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - epidemiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Mental Retardation; Middle Aged; PAS-ADD Checklist; Prevalence; Psychiatric disorder; Psychiatric disorders; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - standards; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometric properties; Psychometrics; Psychometrics - methods; Psychometrics - standards; Psychometrics - statistics & numerical data; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reliability; Simulation; Social Behavior; Young Adult; Europe; Germany; ABC; Intellectual disability; PAS-ADD Checklist; Challenging behavior; Mental health; Psychiatric disorder; Handicap; Questionnaire; Psychometrics; Developmental disorder; German; Mental retardation; Behavioral disorder; Test validation; Intellectual deficiency; Mental disorder; Community
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.07.017

► Evaluation of the German version of ABC-Community and PAS-ADD Checklist. ► Norms of ABC-Community and PAS-ADD Checklist were created. ► Parallel analysis was used for the first time to investigate factor structure. ► Both instruments showed good psychometric properties. ► Both instruments are recommended for use in the German language version. The aim of the present study was to standardize and generate psychometric evidence of the German language versions of two well-established English language mental health instruments: the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) and the Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (PAS-ADD) Checklist. New methods in this field were introduced: a simulation method for testing the factor structure and an exploration of long-term stability over two years. The checklists were both administered to a representative sample of 270 individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and, two years later in a second data collection, to 128 participants of the original sample. Principal component analysis and parallel analysis were performed. Reliability measures, long-term stability, subscale intercorrelations, as well as standardized norms were generated. Prevalence of mental health problems was examined. Psychometric properties were mostly excellent, with long-term stability showing moderate to strong effects. The original factor structure of the ABC-C was replicated. PAS-ADD Checklist produced a similar, but still different structure compared with findings from the English language area. The overall prevalence rate of mental health problems in the sample was about 20%. Considering the good results on the measured psychometric properties, the two checklists are recommended for the early detection of mental health problems in persons with ID.