1. Validating the Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales-Brief Version (OCHS-EBS-B) in children with chronic physical illness.
- Author
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Ferro MA, Arimoro OI, Ayilara OF, Dhuga GK, Duncan L, and Sajobi TT
- Subjects
- Humans, Child, Male, Female, Reproducibility of Results, Child, Preschool, Chronic Disease psychology, Adolescent, Ontario, Longitudinal Studies, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Mental Disorders psychology, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales standards, Comorbidity, Mental Health, Psychometrics
- Abstract
Background: A substantial proportion of children have a physical illness; these children commonly experience physical-mental comorbidity. To assess child mental health, brief scales that can be used in clinical and research settings are needed. This study assessed the validity and reliability of parent-reported Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scale-Brief Version (OCHS-EBS-B) scores., Methods: Data come from a longitudinal study of children aged 2-16 years with a physical illness recruited from outpatient clinics at a pediatric hospital. Confirmatory factor analysis and McDonald's coefficient assessed the factor structure and internal consistency reliability of the OCHS-EBS-B, respectively. Point biserial correlations assessed agreement between the OCHS-EBS-B and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID), a structured diagnostic interview. The Wilcoxon rank sum test compared OCHS-EBS-B scores between children with versus without physical-mental comorbidity (known-group validity)., Results: The three-factor structure of the OCHS-EBS-B was replicated in this sample of children with physical illness (χ
2 = 196.23(272), p < 0.001; CFI = 0.98; TLI = 0.98; SRMR = 0.06; RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.034 [0.027, 0.044]). It had excellent internal consistency reliability (ω = 0.86-0.92) and was moderately correlated with the MINI-KID (baseline: rpb = 0.43-0.51; 6 months: rpb = 0.55-0.65). OCHS-EBS-B scores were significantly higher among children with versus without physical-mental comorbidity., Conclusions: Findings confirm psychometric evidence that the OCHS-EBS-B is a valid and reliable measure of mental health in children with chronic physical illness. Its brevity and robust psychometric properties make the OCHS-EBS-B a strong candidate for routine use in integrated pediatric physical and mental health services., (© 2024 The Author(s). Child: Care, Health and Development published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)- Published
- 2024
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