Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18

Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 [1]

The 2001 Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 (CBCL/6-18) is a standardized measure based on new national norms that were collected February 1999-January 2000. The CBCL is to be completed by the parent/caretaker who spends the most time with the child. The CBCL/6-18 provides ratings for 20 competence and 120 problem items paralleling the Youth Self-Report (YSR) and the Teacher’s Report Form (TRF). The CBCL/6-18 includes open-ended items covering physical problems, concerns, and strengths. Parents rate how true each item is now, or was within the past 6 months, using the same 3- point scale utilized on the YSR and TRF. The CBCL/6-18 yields scores on internalizing, externalizing, and total problems as well as scores on DSM-IV related scales. It is one of the most widely used outcome measures.

Overview

Acronym:

CBCL/6-18

Authors:

Achenbach, Thomas, M.

Citation:

Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms & Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.

Contact Information:

Mail@aseba.org [2] / http://store.aseba.org/ [3]

Cost:

Cost Involved

Copyrighted:

Yes

Domain Assessed:

Grief/Loss

Anxiety/Mood (Internalizing Symptoms)

Age Range:

6-18

Measure Type:

General Assessment

Measure Format:

Questionnaire

Information Provided:

Areas of Concern/Risks

Clinician Friendly Output

Continuous Assessment

Diagnostic Info DSM IV

Dichotomous Assessment

Graphs (e.g. of elevated scale)

Percentiles

Raw Scores

Standard Scores

Strengths

Trauma History

Written Feedback From a Computer Program

Other

Administration

Number of Items:

120

Average Time to Complete (min):

Reporter Type:

Parent/Caregiver

Average Time to Score (min):

Periodicity:

6 months. Intervals can be shortened, see manual for instructions.

Response Format:

1. 3-point Likert-type scale: 0=Not true, 1=Somewhat or Sometimes true, 2=Very true or Often true 2. Fill in the blank.

Sample Items:


Domain	Scale	Sample Items
Social Functioning	Activities	Please list your child’s favorite hobbies, activities, and games, other than sports.
	Social	Please list any organizations, clubs, teams, or groups your child belongs to.
Mood and Anxiety Symptoms (child)	Anxious/Depressed	Cries a lot.
	Withdrawn/Depressed	There is very little he/she enjoys.
	Somatic Complaints	Feels dizzy or lightheaded.
Externalizing Symptoms	Rule-Breaking Behavior	Doesn’t seem to feel guilty after misbehaving.
	Aggressive Behavior	Argues a lot.

Materials Needed:

Paper/Pencil

Training

Training to Administer:

Training by Experienced Clinician (4+ hours)

Manual/Video

Prior Experience in Psych Testing/Interpretation

Parallel or Alternate Forms

Parallel Forms:

Alternate Forms:

Different Age Forms:

Yes

Altered Version Forms:

Yes

Alternative Forms Description:

Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Teacher Report Form (TRF) are related questionnaires used with different informants. The CBCL is available for two age ranges: CBCL 1½-5 and CBCL/6-18.

Psychometrics

Norms:

Age Groups

Gender

Notes on Psychometric Norms:

For the 2001 CBCL/6-18, of 2,181 children initially eligible, 2,029 parents completed the CBCL (93.0%). TRFs & YSRs were administered as well. From this sample, children who did not receive mental health, substance abuse, or major special education services within the previous 12 months were retained. This left a non-referred total sample of 1,753 children from 40 states. Two age groups were constructed (6-11) and (12-18), and genders were separated. The normative sample consisted of the following demographic characteristics: 44% boys and 56% girls; 33% upper-class, 51% middle class, 16% lower class; 60% non-Latino White, 20% African American, 9% Latino, 12% mixed or other; 17% Northeast, 19% Midwest, 40% South, and 23% West. Respondents consisted of 72% mothers, 23% fathers, and 5% other (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001).

Clinical Cutoffs:

Yes

Clinical Cutoffs Description:

T-Scores: 65-69 (Borderline), 70+ (Clinical), no T-score >100 or <50 are generated for narrow band scales. T scores as low as 26 are generated for Total Problems and as low as 10 for Total Competence.

Reliability:


Type:	Statistics	Min	Max	Avg
Test-Retest	Pearson's r	0.8	0.94	0.88
Internal Consistency	Cronbach's alpha	0.63	0.97	0.8
Inter-rater	Pearson's r	0.57	0.88	0.73
Parallel/Alternate Forms

References for Reliability:

1. All reliability was reported for Scale Scores. 2. Inter-Rater: Between parents

References for Content Validity:

1. Measure Development: Extensive literature searches were conducted. Mental health professionals and educators were consulted, and pilot tests were run in creating this measure. 2. The current CBCL measure has been refined after years of use. Old items that failed to discriminate significantly have been replaced, and slight changes were made in the wording of various items to make them clearer. Currently, all the items discriminate between referred and nonreferred demographically similar children (p<.01). (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001).

Construct Validity:


Validity Type	Nonclincal Samples	Clinical Samples	Diverse Samples
Convergent/Concurrent	Yes	Yes	Yes
Discriminant	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sensitive to Change	Yes	Yes	Yes
Intervention Effects	Yes	Yes	Yes
Longitudinal/Maturation Effects	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sensitive to Theoretically Distinct Groups	Yes	Yes	Yes
Factorial Validity	Yes	Yes	Yes

Criterion Validity:


	Not Known	Not Found	Nonclinical Samples	Clinical Samples	Diverse Samples
Predictive Validity:			Yes	Yes	Yes
Postdictive Validity:			Yes	Yes	Yes

References for Criterion Validity:

ASEBA does not report positive or negative power because the results are confounded with the cut points and sample characteristics.

Sensitivity Rate Score:

0.92

Specificity Rate Score:

0.82

Overall Psychometric Limitations:

Psychometrics for this study are very good.

Translations

Translation Quality:


Language:	Translated	Back Translated	Reliable	Good Psychometrics
1. Spanish	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2. French	Yes		Yes	Yes
3. Tagolog	Yes
4. Vietnamese	Yes
5. Chinese	Yes		Yes	Yes
6. American Sign Language	Yes
7. Farsi	Yes
8. Polish	Yes
9. Russian	Yes
10. Urdu	Yes

Population Information

Population Used for Measure Development:

The 1983 original sample used to develop the measure consisted of 2,300 children assessed at 42 mental health agencies. The children were 4-16 years of age with diverse problems. The sample included children from diverse ethnic groups, SES levels, and locations.

For Specific Population:

Military and Veteran Families

Populations with which Measure Has Demonstrated Reliability and Validity:

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Domestic Violence

Neglect

Use with Diverse Populations:


Population Type:	Measure Used with Members of this Group	Members of this Group Studied in Peer-Reviewed Journals	Reliable	Good Psychometrics	Norms Available
1. Developmental disability	Yes	Yes
2. Disabilities	Yes	Yes
3. Lower socio-economic status	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
4. Rural populations	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
5. Child abuse	Yes	Yes	Yes
6. Latinos	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Pros & Cons/References

Pros:

1. Well researched and widely used. 2. Newly revised measure. 3. DSM-IV oriented. 4. Provides information on strengths of the child. 5. Inexpensive to administer and score. 6. Computer-generated reports are available with clinician-friendly feedback. 7. Parallel forms are available. 8. A computer utility called “A2S” is available from ASEBA to easily export data to SPSS.

Cons:

1. Can be a time consuming measure to complete. 2. Potential for self-report bias. 3. No assessment of profile validity. 4. Spanish speakers sometimes report having problems understanding the measure.

References:

The reference for the manual is: Achenbach, T.M. & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA School-Age Forms & Profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families. Note: Numbers provided are based on the manual and the author. To obtain a full list of references, please see: Bérubé, R. L., & Achenbach, T.M. (2005). Bibliography of published studies using ASEBA instruments: 2005 edition. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families; or contact ASEBA.• A PsychInfo search (5/05) for “Child Behavior Checklist” or “CBCL” AND “6-18” anywhere revealed that the CBCL/6-18 has been referenced in 76 peer-reviewed journal articles. Discrepancy between this number and the number provided by authors may be related to search terms. Searching only for “Child Behavior Checklist” or “CBCL” yields 4,437 peer reviewed journal articles, but this includes earlier versions of the measure. In addition, the measure has been used in many other countries, and articles from those countries may not be available in PsychInfo. 1. Achenbach, T. M., Howell, C., McConaughy, S. H., & Stanger, C. (1995). Six-year predictors of problems in a national sample of children and youth: I. Cross-informant syndromes. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 34, 336-347.

Developer of Review:

Maiken Thorvaldsen, B.A.

Editor of Review:

Nicole Taylor, Ph.D., Robyn Igelman, M.A., Madhur Kulkarni, M.S., Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Ph.D.

Last Updated:

Tuesday, August 27, 2013