Screening for affective dysregulation in school-aged children: relationship with comprehensive measures of affective dysregulation and related mental disorders

TY - JOUR

T1 - Screening for affective dysregulation in school-aged children: relationship with comprehensive measures of affective dysregulation and related mental disorders

AU - Treier, A-K

AU - Döpfner, M

AU - Ravens-Sieberer, U

AU - Görtz-Dorten, A

AU - Boecker, M

AU - Goldbeck, C

AU - Banaschewski, T

AU - Aggensteiner, P-M

AU - Hanisch, C

AU - Ritschel, A

AU - Kölch, M

AU - Daunke, A

AU - Roessner, V

AU - Kohls, G

AU - Kaman, A

AU - ADOPT Consortium

N1 - © 2023. The Author(s).

PY - 2024/2

Y1 - 2024/2

N2 - Affective dysregulation (AD) is characterized by irritability, severe temper outbursts, anger, and unpredictable mood swings, and is typically classified as a transdiagnostic entity. A reliable and valid measure is needed to adequately identify children at risk of AD. This study sought to validate a parent-rated screening questionnaire, which is part of the comprehensive Diagnostic Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children (DADYS-Screen), by analyzing relationships with comprehensive measures of AD and related mental disorders in a community sample of children with and without AD. The sample comprised 1114 children aged 8-12 years and their parents. We used clinical, parent, and child ratings for our analyses. Across all raters, the DADYS-Screen showed large correlations with comprehensive measures of AD. As expected, correlations were stronger for measures of externalizing symptoms than for measures of internalizing symptoms. Moreover, we found negative associations with emotion regulation strategies and health-related quality of life. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, the DADYS-Screen adequately identified children with AD and provided an optimal cut-off. We conclude that the DADYS-Screen appears to be a reliable and valid measure to identify school-aged children at risk of AD.

AB - Affective dysregulation (AD) is characterized by irritability, severe temper outbursts, anger, and unpredictable mood swings, and is typically classified as a transdiagnostic entity. A reliable and valid measure is needed to adequately identify children at risk of AD. This study sought to validate a parent-rated screening questionnaire, which is part of the comprehensive Diagnostic Tool for Affective Dysregulation in Children (DADYS-Screen), by analyzing relationships with comprehensive measures of AD and related mental disorders in a community sample of children with and without AD. The sample comprised 1114 children aged 8-12 years and their parents. We used clinical, parent, and child ratings for our analyses. Across all raters, the DADYS-Screen showed large correlations with comprehensive measures of AD. As expected, correlations were stronger for measures of externalizing symptoms than for measures of internalizing symptoms. Moreover, we found negative associations with emotion regulation strategies and health-related quality of life. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses, the DADYS-Screen adequately identified children with AD and provided an optimal cut-off. We conclude that the DADYS-Screen appears to be a reliable and valid measure to identify school-aged children at risk of AD.

U2 - 10.1007/s00787-023-02166-z

DO - 10.1007/s00787-023-02166-z

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 36800039

VL - 33

SP - 381

EP - 390

JO - EUR CHILD ADOLES PSY

JF - EUR CHILD ADOLES PSY

SN - 1018-8827

IS - 2

ER -