A Psychometric Evaluation of the Parent-Report Brief Problem Checklist Items in a Large Community Sample

Abstract

The current study examined the psychometric properties of the parent-reported Brief Problem Checklist (BPC) items in a sample of 711 school children and adolescents. Due to its length, the BPC is able to measure a wide array of psychopathological symptoms within 1 – 2 minutes. Previous studies examining the BPC in clinically-referred samples revealed two constructs of Internalizing (e.g., feeling withdrawn or sad) and Externalizing (e.g., aggression toward others) symptoms. It was hypothesized that the BPC factor structure would include the Internalizing and Externalizing subscales and would converge and/or diverge with various youth and caregiver measurements including the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (child and parent versions) and the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule for Children (child and parent versions). Consistent with our hypotheses, results from the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure of Internalizing and Externalizing symptoms. Convergent and divergent validity analyses revealed significant results for parent-reports, but non-significant results for most child-reports. This was the first study to provide psychometric support for BPC items in a normative sample of youth. Findings suggest the BPC is a potentially useful measure for internalizing and externalizing symptoms within youth psychopathology. Results indicate good model fit, good internal consistency, and acceptable convergent and divergent validity. Future directions, limitations, and implications are discussed.