Associations between Different Diagnostic Approaches for Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

Objective: To test the convergence between the empirical‐quantitative approach of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the clinical‐diagnostic approach of the DSM. Method: The parent version of the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC), version 2.3, was administered after completion of the CBCL for 231 children and adolescents consecutively referred to an outpatient mental health clinic. Results: Of the subjects with a DSM‐III‐R diagnosis, 60% scored in the clinical range of the CBCL total problem score. The Withdrawn scale predicted affective and anxiety disorders. The Somatic Complaints scale predicted anxiety and mood disorders and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The Anxious/Depressed scale predicted anxiety and mood disorders and, to a lesser extent, disruptive behavior disorders. The Social Problems scale predicted Oppositional Defiant Disorder. The Attention Problems scale was the only significant predictor of “pure” Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The Aggressive Behavior scale predicted several disruptive behavior disorders, and Major Depression. The Delinquent Behavior scale was strongly associated with Conduct Disorder. Conclusions: Empirically based CBCL scale scores and DISC‐P based DSM‐III‐R diagnoses converged. However, both approaches do not converge to a degree that one approach can replace the other. Instead, combining both approaches may be valuable by adding information from one approach that is not captured by the other.