Diagnostic Efficiency of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory (CASI-4R) Depression Subscale for Identifying Youth Mood Disorders. Issue 5 (3rd September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Salcedo, Stephanie; Chen, Yen-Ling; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Fristad, Mary A.; Gadow, Kenneth D.; Horwitz, Sarah M.; Frazier, Thomas W.; Arnold, L. Eugene; Phillips, Mary L.; Birmaher, Boris; Kowatch, Robert A.; Findling, Robert L.
• Is Part Of: Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology. Volume 47:Issue 5(2018)
• Page Start: 832
• Page End: 846
• Publication Date: 2018-09-03
• Subjects: Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child psychiatry -- Periodicals; Adolescent psychology -- Periodicals; Adolescent psychiatry -- Periodicals; Adolescent Psychology -- Periodicals; Child Psychology -- Periodicals; Psychology, Clinical -- Periodicals; Adolescent psychiatry; Adolescent psychology; Child psychiatry; Child psychology; Periodicals; 155.4
• DOI: 10.1080/15374416.2017.1280807
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1537-4416

Abstract

Abstract : This study examined the diagnostic and clinical utility of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory–4 R (CASI-4 R) Depressive and Dysthymia subscale for detecting mood disorders in youth (ages 6–12; M = 9.37) visiting outpatient mental health clinics. Secondary analyses ( N = 700) utilized baseline data from the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms study. Semistructured interviews with youth participants and their parents/caregivers determined psychiatric diagnoses. Caregivers and teachers completed the CASI-4 R. CASI-4 R depressive symptom severity and symptom count scores each predicted mood disorder diagnoses. Both caregiver scores (symptom severity and symptom count) of the CASI-4 R subscale significantly identified youth mood disorders (areas under the curve [AUCs] = .78–.79, p s < .001). The symptom severity version showed a small but significant advantage. Teacher symptom severity report did not significantly predict mood disorder diagnosis (AUC = .56, p > .05), whereas the teacher symptom count report corresponded to a small effect size (AUC = .61, p < .05). The CASI-4 R Depression scale showed strong incrememental validity even controlling for the other CASI-4 R scales. Caregiver subscale cutoff scores were calculated to assist in ruling in (diagnostic likelihood ratio [DLR] = 3.73) or ruling out (DLR = 0.18) presence of a mood disorder. The CASI-4 R Depressive subscale caregiver report can help identify youth mood disorders, and using DLRs may help improve diagnostic accuracy.