Detection of Symptoms of Prevalent Mental Health Disorders of Childhood With the Parent Form of the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System

This study examined the criterion-related validity of score inferences from the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Parent Form (BESS Parent) for the detection of symptoms of prevalent mental health disorders of childhood. The BESS Parent was administered to 99 parents of first- through fifth-grade students, along with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Correlations were computed between the BESS Parent total and researcher-calculated subscale scores, and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)–oriented scales of the CBCL. Moderate correlations were obtained between the BESS Parent total score and CBCL DSM-oriented conduct problems, oppositional defiant, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and affective problems scales, and with the CBCL externalizing, internalizing, and total problems composite scores. Results support interpreting the BESS Parent as a measure of risk and as an indicator of the potential presence of one of the common mental health disorders of childhood.