Evidence regarding the sensitivity of the Internalizing Symptoms Scale for Children (ISSC) in detecting differences between clinic-referred children identified as internalizers, clinic-referred noninternalizing children, and nonreferred children was examined. ISSC scores differentiated accurately among the three groups. Accuracy of ISSC scores in classifying children into clinic-referred and nonreferred children, as well as internalizers and noninternalizers, was also studied. Results indicated that children were classified into their respective diagnostic groups very efficiently using the overall pattern of all ISSC item scores. Evidence for the criterion-related validity of ISSC scores through correlations with scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was also evaluated. ISSC scores were correlated significantly with the CBCL broadband scores and with the classification of clinic-referred children as internalizers and noninternalizers. These results provide additional support for the validity of the ISSC as a measure of internalizing symptoms and positive and negative affectivity in elementary-age children.
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