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Affective dysregulation (AD) in children is characterized by persistent irritability and severe temper outbursts. This study developed and evaluated a screening questionnaire for AD in children. The development included the generation of an initial item pool from existing instruments, a Delphi rating of experts, focus groups with experts and parents, and psychometric analyses of clinical and population-based samples. Based on data of a large community-based study, the final screening questionnaire was developed (n = 771; 49.7 % female; age M = 10.02 years; SD = 1.34) and evaluated (n = 8,974; 48.7 % female; age M = 10.00 years; SD = 1.38) with methods from classical test theory and item response theory. The developed DADYS-Screen (D iagnostic Tool for A ffective Dys regulation in Children— Screen ing Questionnaire) includes 12 items with good psychometric properties and scale characteristics including a good fit to a one-factorial model in comparison to the baseline model, although only a "mediocre" fit according to the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). Results could be confirmed using a second and larger data set. Overall, the DADYS-Screen is able to identify children with AD, although it needs further investigation using clinical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to investigate predictors for use of medication and psychotherapy within 5 years after a first ADHD diagnosis in Germany. Children were categorized into treatment groups based upon dispensations of ADHD drugs and billed codes for psychotherapy within 5 years after the first ADHD diagnosis. Within 5 years after the incident ADHD diagnosis, 37% of the children received medication; 11% received only psychotherapy; and 52% received no treatment. [Extracted from the article]