Psychometric Properties of the Weekly Assessment of Child Behavior Forms in Pediatric Primary Care

Abstract

Objective:

Disruptive behavior problems make up the largest proportion of diagnosed disorders in children. Rates of these problems are higher in primary care clinics serving children from urban, low-income, and racial/ethnic minority communities. Primary care clinics provide an optimal setting for screening and assessment of disruptive behavior issues; however, many instruments may be challenging to implement in the context of primary care.

Method:

The current study examines the psychometric properties of the Weekly Assessment of Child Behavior (WACB) forms (positive and negative) with a nonclinical sample in Federally Qualified Health Centers collected from caregivers of children ages 2–12 (N = 156) who presented to their routine well-child visits.

Results:

The WACB-P and the WACB-N both demonstrated high internal reliability and moderate test–retest reliability, as well as strong convergent validity with an established measure of child behavior problems. The item response theory (IRT) paradigm revealed that the WACB-Positive Intensity scale had a better item fit overall compared to the WACB-Negative Intensity scale. In general, both scales were found to more accurately measure the children who exhibit more problematic behaviors.

Conclusions:

Results suggest that both WACB scales may be helpful in identifying children in the primary care setting who are at risk for or are experiencing behavioral problems.

Implications for Impact Statement

This study provides psychometric evidence for the utility of a brief and free measure—the Weekly Assessment of Child Behavior—in screening and assessing disruptive behavior issues in young children in the pediatric primary care setting.