Psychometric Properties of the Dominic Interactive Assessment

Abstract

The reliability and validity of the Dominic Interactive (DI) assessment were evaluated. The DI is a computerized, self-report measure for children, which assesses symptom presence for seven DSM-IV diagnoses. The participants were 322 children (169 cocaine exposed, 153 not cocaine exposed) who were recruited at birth for a prospective longitudinal study. At 6 years of age, measures of selfreport, parent report, and observational data were collected. Moderate to excellent internal consistencies on the DI were found for the total sample as well as for cocaine status and gender. Concurrent validity correlations between DI scales and the Child Behavior Checklist, Affect in Play Scale, a modified Conners's Teachers Rating Scale, and the Parenting Stress Index were examined. Significant relationships among scales were more apt to be among comparisons that assessed externalizing behaviors. Overall, low correlations were obtained, which are comparable to other studies that evaluate agreement between child and parent report of behaviors. KeywordsDominic Interactive; child self-report; cocaine exposure; CBCL Reliable and valid assessment of mental health symptoms from a young child's perspective is a topic of interest in clinical and research settings. Typically, assessments are conducted using standardized structured interviews, such as the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) (Shaffer, Fisher, Lucas, Dulcan, & Schwab-Stone, 2000) or the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS) (Kaufman et al., 1997). However, the development of children's cognitive and emotional capabilities may affect the quality and accuracy of children's self-report. Indeed, the reliability and validity of these diagnostic interviews with young children have been questioned (Breton et al., 1995;Edelbrock, Costello, Dulcan, Kalas, & Calabro Conover, 1985;Schwab-Stone, 1995;Schwab-Stone, Fallon, Briggs, & Crowther, 1994).The criticisms include poor test-retest reliability (Edelbrock et al., 1985; Fallon & SchwabStone, 1994), poor comprehension (Breton et al., 1995), and lengthy administration time . Thus, clinical assessments are often supplemented with children's self-report measures that rely on a questionnaire format because these self-reports have been found to provide useful information. For example, one study found that school-age children's report on the Children's Depression Inventory, a questionnaire targeting depressive symptoms, was a better predictor of some later outcomes (e.g., diagnosis of major depression) than their parent's report (Ialongo, Edelsohn, & Kellan, 2001). Efforts at improving reliability and validity of self-report measures for young children have resulted in format changes, with newly Crnic, & Bohnert, 1999;Ernst, Cookus, & Moravec, 2000;Martini, Strayhorn, & Puig-Antich, 1990;Valla, Bergeron, & Smolla, 2000).One such measure, the Dominic Interactive (DI) assessment, is a computerized self-report of seven disorders from the DSM-IV that capitalizes on auditory...

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“…The children were shown drawings of a child's specific acts and asked whether they sometimes do what is shown (Yes or No). Assessments were similar to the Dominique Interactif (e.g., Linares Scott, Short, Singer, Russ, & Minnes, 2006). The items were the same across informants (e.g., "The child cries a lot").…”

The relationship between quantity, type, and timing of external childcare and child problem behaviour in Switzerland

“…A yes/no format was used so that it would be easily understood by 7-year-olds. Assessments were based on the Dominique Interactif, which has been shown to have adequate reliability and validity for young children (Linares Scott, Short, Singer, Russ, & Minnes, 2006;Shojaei et al, 2009;Valla, Bergeron, Be´rube´, Gaudet, & St-Georges, 1994;Valla, Bergeron, & Smolla, 2000). Scores were z-standardized for each informant and averaged across informants to construct one overall score ( Table 1): The AGGR scale included physical, proactive, and reactive aggression (11-12 items per informant); the ADHD scale consisted of 8-9 items per informant; NAEX combined non-aggressive conduct disorder and opposition and defiance (6-9 items); ANXDEP consisted of 7-9 items.…”