Psychometric properties of the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3 in an Arab population

Abstract

Child Behavior Checklist 2-3 is a parents' report questionnaire whose psychometric properties are known in the Western setting, but no studies have investigated this in an Arabic culture. In this study, the psychometric properties of the Arabic translation were studied using a sample of 694 children age 3 yr., ascertained as part of a community-based epidemiological study in the United Arab Emirates. The item-total correlations for items were satisfactory, ranging from .16 to .58. Cronbach alpha values for reliability ranged from .70 to .88 for the subscales and .93 for the Total score. The test-retest reliability coefficient for the Total score was .83. The validity was also high as 94.1% of those who scored above the cut-off point were classified correctly by a blind clinical interview. The results suggest that Child Behavior Checklist 2-3 is a reliable and valid checklist for use in the Arabic culture.