Psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the Child Behavior Checklist 1,5–5 (CBCL 1,5–5), 2nd. edition
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7557/29.8461Keywords:
psychometric properties, CBCL 1,-5-5Abstract
Description: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1,5–5, developed by Achenbach as part of the Achenbach system of empirically based assessment (ASEBA), is a measurement instrument for assessing preschool children’s social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. A modified version of the instrument was published in 2000, and this was translated to Norwegian by Torunn S. Nøvik and Sonja Heyerdal. The instrument is protected by copyright and can be ordered from ASEBA (Home | ASEBA Europe). Professionals with a master’s degree or at least two years of relevant practice can administer it for clinical purposes. The CBCL 1,5–5 consist of 100 items covering a diverse set of behaviors to be rated by a parent/caregiver. These items make up a total problem scale but can also be grouped to assess broad externalizing and internalizing problems, more specific syndrome scales and DSM-oriented scales. Additionally, the CBCL 1,5–5 includes a language section, but this is not widely used and as such not included in the present article.
Literature search: A total of 20 studies (9 Norwegian and 11 Swedish/Danish) reporting on the psychometric qualities of the CBCL 1,5–5 were included. Together, these studies encompass both small clinical samples and larger population-based samples. Across the studies, means and standard deviations for the total problem scale, the externalizing and the internalizing scales, the syndrome scales, and the DSM-IV profiles are reported, as well as internal consistency for some of the scales and aspects of instrument validity.
Psychometrics: The samples in the included studies are heterogenous, making it difficult to compare results, particularly regarding mean levels and standard deviations. The internal consistency is good to excellent for the total scale, the externalizing scale and the internalizing scale, whereas there is little information about internal consistency for the syndrome scales and the DSM-oriented scales. The validity of the instrument is only to a limited degree investigated and documented in Norwegian studies, and there are no Norwegian studies reporting norms. Norms are documented in both Sweden and Denmark, both suggesting considerably lower scores compared with that found in other countries. The psychometric quality of the Swedish version is documented and support the construct validity of the total scale and externalizing and internalizing scale.
Conclusion: To sum up, there is relatively little documentation on the psychometric qualities of the Norwegian version of the CBCL 1,5–5. Additional knowledge emerges from including the studies from Sweden and Denmark, indicating support for the psychometric properties of the total problems scale, the externalizing and internalizing scales, and partly the syndrome scales. Additionally, the Swedish and Danish norms suggest low scores among children in these countries compared to other countries and cultures, a finding that probably can be generalized to Norwegian children. Nevertheless, there are overall too few studies based on large enough samples to draw conclusions about the psychometric properties of other aspects of the instrument, in particular some of the syndrome scales and the DSM-oriented scales.
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