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Review
. 2024 Jan 24;11(2):144.
doi: 10.3390/children11020144.

A Systematic Review on Assessing Assessments: Unveiling Psychometric Properties of Instruments for Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in Minors under Protective Measures

Florencia Talmón-Knuser  1 , Miriam Soler  2 , Francisco González-Sala  3 , Laura Lacomba-Trejo  3 , Paula Samper-García  4
Affiliations
Review

A Systematic Review on Assessing Assessments: Unveiling Psychometric Properties of Instruments for Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in Minors under Protective Measures

Florencia Talmón-Knuser et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) and disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) manifest in individuals facing attachment system challenges, particularly observed in minors under protective measures. The lack of standardized tools for assessing these difficulties and uncertainty about the most effective instruments from a psychometric perspective prompted this study.

Aim: Using the COSMIN checklist, we systematically reviewed instruments assessing RAD, adhering to PRISMA.

Methodology: Examined tools included the Disturbance Attachment Interview, Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment, Relationship Patterns Questionnaire, Assessment of RAD and DSED, Development and Well-Being Assessment, and Reactive Attachment Disorder Questionnaire.

Results: Of the 10 articles analyzed, the results highlight a research emphasis on internal consistency and structural and construct validity, sidelining other properties.

Conclusion: Most articles review structural validity and internal consistency. These measures are satisfactory but insufficiently evaluated. It is necessary to evaluate these tools using other indicators such as cross-cultural validity, measurement error, or responsiveness in adolescents under protective measures.

Keywords: COSMIN; adolescents; children; psychometric proprieties; reactive attachment disorder; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of information through the different phases of a systematic review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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