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. 2024 Feb;33(2):381-390.
doi: 10.1007/s00787-023-02166-z. Epub 2023 Feb 17.

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

A-K Treier  1   2 , M Döpfner  3   4 , U Ravens-Sieberer  5 , A Görtz-Dorten  3   4 , M Boecker  5 , C Goldbeck  3   4 , T Banaschewski  6 , P-M Aggensteiner  6 , C Hanisch  7 , A Ritschel  7 , M Kölch  8   9 , A Daunke  8 , V Roessner  10 , G Kohls  10 , A Kaman  5 ; ADOPT Consortium
Collaborators, Affiliations

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

A-K Treier et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: Affective dysregulation; Children and adolescents; Parent report; Screening; Validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

MD receives royalties from publishing companies as an author of books and treatment manuals on child behavioral therapy and of assessment manuals published by Beltz, Elsevier, Enke, Guilford, Hogrefe, Huber, Kohlhammer, Schattauer, Springer, and Wiley. He receives income as a consultant for Child Behavior Therapy at the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. He also receives consulting income and research support from Lilly, Medice, Takeda, and eyelevel GmbH. AGD receives royalties from publishing companies as an author of books and treatment manuals on child behavioral therapy and assessment manuals, including the treatment manuals evaluated in this trial. She receives income as a consultant for Child Behavior Therapy at the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. She also receives consulting income and research support from Medice and eyelevel GmbH. TB served in an advisory or consultancy role for ADHS digital, Infectopharm, Lundbeck, Medice, Neurim Pharmaceuticals, Oberberg GmbH, Roche, and Takeda. He received conference support or speaker’s fees from Medice and Takeda. He received royalties from Hogrefe, Kohlhammer, CIP Medien, Oxford University Press; the present work is unrelated to these relationships. CH receives royalties from a publishing company as the author of a treatment manual. MK receives royalties from publishing companies as an author of books. He served as PI or CI in clinical trials of Lundbeck, Pascoe, and Janssen-Cilag. He received grants from the BMBF, BMFSFJ, BZgA and Bundeswehr. He served as a scientific advisor for Janssen. The present work is unrelated to the above grants and relationships. VR has received lecture honoraria from Infectopharm and Medice companies. He has carried out clinical trials in cooperation with Servier and Shire Pharmaceuticals/Takeda companies. The present work is unrelated to the above grants and relationships. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a ROC curve of DADYS-Screen for DADYS parent interview total score cut-off. b ROC curve of DADYS-Screen for DADYS parent interview DMDD diagnosis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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