Abstract
This study used Rasch measurement model criteria and traditional psychometric strategies to examine key psychometric properties of the Behavioral Complexity Scale (BCS), a widely used measure of externalizing disorders that focuses on attention deficit, hyperactivity, and conduct disorders. With a sample of 7,435 persons being screened for substance use disorders, the BCS was found to (a) be unidimensional, (b) have a hierarchical severity structure, (c) be generalizable to both youths and adults, and (d) meet hypothesized correlations with criterion variables. The BCS performed well as a unidimensional measure. The Rasch severity hierarchy of attention deficit to hyperactivity to conduct disorders provided a perspective that suggested that a dimensional measure could be used as an alternative and, in some ways, as an improvement to categorical diagnosis and common dimensional approaches. The finding of 3 low-severity conduct disorder items also supported a revision of categorical criteria, especially in substance use disorders.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 913-924 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Psychological assessment |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2012 |
Keywords
- Age generalizability
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders
- Conduct disorders
- Criterion validity
- Externalizing disorders
- Global Appraisal of Individual Needs
- Hierarchical structure
- Rasch model
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Clinical Psychology