Daily behavior ratings among child and adolescent inpatients: The abbreviated child behavior raring form

Objective: Child and adolescent psychiatric inpatient facilities are in nee d of standardized behavior rating scales to assess continuous change in pat ient behaviors. This study used daily staff ratings to examine the factor s tructure and psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Child Behavior Rating Form (CBRF-A). Method: Three hundred eighty-seven inpatien ts, aged 3 to 17 years, were rated daily by unit staff. Subsamples of patie nts and/or their parents completed additional measures of behavior problems (Child Behavior Checklist, Functional impairment Scale for Children and Ad olescents) to assess the instrument's validity. Results: Confirmatory facto r analyses identified 5 behavior problem dimensions (Oppositionalism, Atten tion Problems, Overactivity, Withdrawal/Depression, and Anxiety), a second- order Externalizing dimension, and 2 positive behavior dimensions (Positive /Adaptive Social and Compliance/Self-Control). The scales were found to be internally consistent and showed expected age differences, and the scale fa ctor structures were relatively stable over 1- and 2-week intervals. The sc ales correlated meaningfully with parent ratings of child behavior problems and functional impairment and were predictive of total hospital days. Conc lusions: The psychometric properties of the CBRF-A appear adequate for dail y inpatient rating; additional research is needed to determine the usefulne ss of the CBRF-A in assessing treatment and medication effects over the hos pital stay.