ASSESSING ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS - AN OVERVIEW OF THE ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS INVENTORY

The Adolescent Problems Inventory (API) and the Problem Inventory for Adolescent Girls (PIAG) are commonly employed in studies of antisocial and delinquent behaviour. This paper offers a review and critique of these inventories. The development and construction of the inventories are detailed, followed by discussion of their psychometric properties . The weight of evidence suggests chat the inventories are related to behavioural indices associated with antisocial and delinquent behaviou r. More recent studies have considered the factor structure of the API , suggesting several dimensions of social functioning. It is concluded that the API and PIAG are robust instruments that can yield valuable clinical and research data. (C) 1996 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents