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Objectives: To compare the reliability and convergent validity of parent assessments from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID-a structured diagnostic interview) and the Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (OCHS-EBS) symptom checklist for classifying conduct disorder (CD), conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (CD-ODD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) based on DSM-5 criteria.Methods: Data came from 283 parent-youth dyads aged 9 to 18 years. Parents and youth completed the assessments separately on 2 different occasions 7 to 14 days apart. After converting the OCHS-EBS scale scores to binary disorder classifications, we compare test-retest reliability estimates and use structural equation modelling (SEM) to compare estimates of convergent validity for the same disorders assessed by each instrument.Results: Average test-retest reliabilities based on κ were 0.71 (MINI-KID) and 0.67 (OCHS-EBS). The average β coefficients for 3 latent measures comprising the following indicators-parent perceptions of youth mental health need and impairment, diagnosis of specific disorders based on health professional communications and youth taking prescribed medication, and youth classifications of disorder based on the MINI-KID-were 0.67 (MINI-KID) and 0.69 (OCHS-EBS).Conclusion: The OCHS-EBS and MINI-KID achieve comparable levels of reliability and convergent validity for classifying child psychiatric disorder. The flexibility, low cost, and minimal respondent burden of checklists for classifying disorder make them well suited for studying disorder in the general population and screening in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe the development and psychometric properties of the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (OCHS-EBS) for dimensional measurement of 7 disorders based on criteria from the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).Methods: Scale items were selected by agreement among 19 child psychologists and psychiatrists rating the correspondence between item descriptions and DSM-5 symptoms. Psychometric evaluation of the item properties and parent/caregiver and youth scales came from a general population study of 10,802 children and youth aged 4 to 17 years in 6537 families. Test-retest reliability data were collected from a subsample of 280 children and their caregivers who independently completed the OCHS-EBS checklist on 2 occasions 7 to 14 days apart. Structural equation modelling was used to assess internal and external convergent and discriminant validity-the latter tested against the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID).Results: Confirmatory factor analyses exhibited adequate item fit to all scales. Except for conduct disorder and youth-assessed separation anxiety disorder, internal (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability (Pearson's r) for scale scores were 0.70 or above. Except for youth-assessed conduct disorder, the OCHS-EBS met criteria for internal and convergent and discriminant validity. Compared with the MINI-KID, the OCHS-EBS met criteria for external convergent and discriminant validity.Conclusions: The OCHS-EBS provide reliable and valid dimensional measurement of 7 DSM-5 disorders assessed by caregivers and youth in the general population. Part II describes use of the OCHS-EBS as a categorical (present/absent) measure of disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instructors who use students enrolled in survey methodology courses to collect data must ensure that the process is not unreasonably difficult for some students and that the data gathered are representative of the population. Two sets of student-collected survey data are used to examine the fairness of the data-collection process for students and the quality of the data based on comparisons with census data. The findings demonstrate this process is a useful learning tool that efficiently yields quality data. The authors provide suggestions for improvement in student survey-data collection based on their experience as both students and instructors in the experiential-education-based data-collection process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study sought to determine whether the prevalence of the seasonal subtype of major depression (SAD) in the community varied as a function of latitude.Methods: Random telephone numbers were generated across 8 degrees of latitude (41.5 degrees N to 49.5 degrees N) for the province of Ontario. Eight strata of 1 degree each were sampled equally throughout a 12-month period. Using a validated and structured diagnostic interview, we interviewed by telephone respondents over 20 years of age who had lived in the region for 3 years or more. We evaluated patterns of symptom change across seasons to establish a diagnosis of SAD according to DSM-IV criteria.Results: Of the 2078 households that were assessed for eligibility, 1605 (77%) completed the interview. The crude prevalence of lifetime SAD was 2.6% (95% CI, 1.9 to 3.5). There was no impact of latitude on prevalence of either major depression or the seasonal subtype across the 8 strata, although the global measure of the severity of seasonal change in mood was significantly negatively correlated with latitude.Conclusions: SAD is a common subtype of major depression in Ontario, but there is no evidence to support an increase in prevalence with increasing latitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We undertook a systematic review of the literature on the long-term treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We used systematic strategies to identify randomized treatment studies in which treatment was administered for 12 weeks or more. We included 14 studies involving 1379 subjects. Because of the limited number of high-quality studies and the heterogeneity of outcome measures, we did not perform meta-analysis. We rated 5 studies as adequate for methodological quality. Five studies followed children for more than 26 weeks. Pharmacologic interventions were studied more frequently than non-pharmacologic ones. Six studies permitted evaluation of the effects of combined drug and behavioural intervention. Twenty-five different outcomes were measured using 26 different tests. Stimulant medication appears to reduce ADHD (7 studies), dysfunctional social behaviour (6 studies), and internalizing symptoms (2 studies). Available studies provide little evidence for improved academic performance with stimulants (3 studies). Medications other than stimulants have not been studied extensively (3 studies). Only 1 study showed that combination therapy adds to the effects of medication. Rigorous treatment research among representative samples of ADHD individuals is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the identification of psychiatric disorder as informed by parents versus teachers in children aged 6-11 years and parents versus adolescents in youth aged 12-16 years in clinic versus community samples.Method: Study data come from parallel surveys in Hamilton, Ontario, of children aged 6-16 years. The surveys included consecutive referrals (N = 1150) between 1989 and 1991 to the region's 2 agencies providing outpatient child mental health services. Also, a simple random sample (N = 1689) was used, drawn in 1989 from students attending public schools. Conduct disorder, hyperactivity, emotional disorder, and somatization disorder were assessed by informants using the original Ontario Child Health Study scales.Results: The percentage of children identified with a disorder was markedly higher in the clinic sample, irrespective of the type of disorder, the age and sex of the child, and who provided the assessment. Also, there was a statistically significant differential shift between parents and teachers in the percentage of children identified with disorder. The ratio of children aged 6-11 years identified with conduct disorder or hyperactivity by parents versus teachers was higher in the clinic sample than in the community sample. Among youth aged 12-16 years, a similar pattern emerged for parents as informants versus the adolescents themselves, but it was statistically nonsignificant.Conclusions: The data suggest that the relative contribution of informants to the identification of childhood psychiatric disorder varies by sample type: clinic and community. If risk factors for child disorder are influenced by contextually specific factors wedded to informants, then studies conducted in clinic versus community samples may lead to discrepant information about the determinants of psychopathology. The extent of this problem needs to be assessed by comparing the results of parallel studies conducted in clinic versus community samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]