A rapid screening tool for psychological distress in children 3–6years old: results of a validation study

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Caroline Marquer¹  Sarah Hustache¹  Rebecca F Grais¹  Bruno Falissard²  Caroline Barry²  Anne Révah-Lévy²  Marie-Rose Moro³  Douma M Djibo⁴  Mahamane L Manzo⁵  Yoram Mouchenik⁶ 

[1] Epicentre, 8 rue St Sabin, F-75011, Paris, France;Inserm U669, Université Paris-Sud et Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France;Inserm U669, Université Paris-Sud et Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France;Médecins Sans Frontières, Paris, France;Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France;National program of mental health, Ministry of Health, Niamey, Niger;Regional Department of Public Health, Maradi, Niger;Université Toulouse le Mirail, Toulouse, France;Hospital Sainte-Anne, Paris, France;Médecins Sans Frontières, Paris, France;

关键词: Mental Health;    Psychological Distress;    Mental Health Care;    Mental Health Professional;    Interrater Reliability;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-12-170

 received in 2011-09-16, accepted in 2012-10-10,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe mental health needs of young children in humanitarian contexts often remain unaddressed. The lack of a validated, rapid and simple tool for screening combined with few mental health professionals able to accurately diagnose and provide appropriate care mean that young children remain without care. Here, we present the results of the principle cross-cultural validation of the “Psychological Screening for Young Children aged 3 to 6” (PSYCAa3-6). The PSYCa 3–6 is a simple scale for children 3 to 6 years old administered by non-specialists, to screen young children in crises and thereby refer them to care if needed.MethodsThis study was conducted in Maradi, Niger. The scale was translated into Hausa, using corroboration of independent translations. A cross-cultural validation was implemented using quantitative and qualitative methods. A random sample of 580 mothers or caregivers of children 3 to 6 years old were included. The tool was psychometrically examined and diagnostic properties were assessed comparing the PSYCa 3–6 against a clinical interview as the gold standard.ResultsThe PSYCa 3–6 Hausa version demonstrated good concurrent validity, as scores correlated with the gold standard and the Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale (CGI-S) [rho = 0.41, p-value = 0.00]. A reduction procedure was used to reduce the scale from 40 to 22 items. The test-retest reliability of the PSYCa 3–6 was found to be high (ICC 0.81, CI95% [0.68; 0.89]). In our sample, although not the purpose of this study, approximately 54 of 580 children required subsequent follow-up with a psychologist.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first validation of a screening scale for children 3 to 6 years old with a cross-cultural validation component, for use in humanitarian contexts. The Hausa version of the PSYCa 3–6 is a reliable and a valuable screening tool for psychological distress. Further studies to replicate our findings and additional validations of the PSYCa 3–6 in other populations may help improve the delivery of mental health care to children.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Marquer et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012