Summary
Behavioral and psychological assessment of dementia (BPSD) requires critical case assessment for effective management. This research paper uses the Mental Measurements Yearbook to identify three measures of the constructs studied in the Beck Youth Inventories research. In the study, BYI is employed as a 100-item self-report measure comprised of five self-report assessments administered alone or combined to evaluate symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behavior, and self-concept (Spies et al., 2010). Trends have shown the most prominent BPSD in individuals with dementia, including children and adolescents (Hendry et al., 2020). The most significant clinically are sadness, anger, disruptive behavior, and anxiety.
Research Question
The researchers acknowledge the need for screening tests noting that prompt identification and care may have significant and life-altering effects on a person’s mental health. The study is based on the research question; can Beck Youth Inventories Second Edition (BYI-II) be valuable and efficient as a self-report screener when paired with other instruments to assess individuals in various settings for five common psychiatric cases among children and adolescents? The psychiatric research causes include depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behavior, and self-concept.
Testable Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that BYI-II can have a 95% reliability rate as a valuable and efficient self-report screener when paired with other instruments to assess common psychiatric cases among children and adolescents. The tests can be designed to determine a child’s experience of depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior, and self-concepts for a population between the ages of 7-18 years old (Ensink et al., 2020). In the study, BYI-II is likely to be the most beneficial in the brief assessment of symptom severity in outpatient and inpatient populations.
Constructs Under Investigation
In psychology, unpleasant emotional states have been linked with other concerns of grave concern, such as suicidal thoughts and suicide. The BYI for Youth conforms to the depression criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) (Pickren & Rutherford, 2010). The Beck Disruptive Behaviour Inventory for Youth examines thoughts and behaviors linked with conduct disorder and oppositional-defiant behavior (Blomqvist et al., 2021). The Beck Self-Concept Inventory for Youth assesses beliefs on competence, potency, and positive self-worth. The researchers acknowledge that these inventories facilitate the assessment of comorbidity, which is common in youth disorders.
Measures Of Constructs
The examined constructs comprise the BYI consisting of five items used independently and combined to acquire self-report data. The data is based on the experience of Anger (BANI-Y), Anxiety (BAI-Y), Depression (BDI-Y), Disruptive Behavior (BDBI-Y), and Self-Concept (BSCI-Y). The researchers use test-retest correlation to analyze the consistency of a measure from one period to another. Internal consistency reliability is applied to measure the consistency of outcomes across items within a scale.
The Test Used
Both the BAI and BDI self-report questionnaires tests were used in the research. The tests were developed by Judith Beck, Aaron Beck, John Jolly, and Robert Steer to detect the existence of anxiety or depression (Blomqvist et al., 2021). In this study, the authors include Judith S. Beck, Aron T. Beck, John B. Jolly, and Robert A. Steer (Spies et al., 2010). The BYI was administered as a self-report questionnaire to evaluate maladaptive behavioral patterns in children aged 7 to 14. The exams contain anxiety, sadness, behavioral issues, rage, and self-concept inventories. The evaluation assessed the creation, standardization, and forming stage of the BYI and the evidence of its reliability and validity.
In the study, the psychometric qualities of the BYI-II were determined during two stages. Phase I featured two age groups (7-10 and 11-14 years) and a community sample (n=1,100) from urban and rural settings in the North, South, Midwest, and West regions of the United States (Spies et al., 2010). The research was done between 2001 and 2005 with individuals aged 15 to 18 with comparable demographic characteristics. In the study, the researchers note that BYI-II is simple to administer and short, taking between five and ten minutes for each distress evaluation in children and adolescents. Each questionnaire consists of twenty items about the emotions, attitudes, and behaviors linked with emotional and social deficits in children and adolescents (Spies et al., 2010). The inventories assess emotional and social impairment in the BDI-Y, BAI-Y, BANI-Y, BDBI-Y, and BSCI-Y domains.
Test’s Psychometric Properties
Reliability
In the study, test-retest reliability shows good to excellent internal consistency, with alpha coefficients ranging from 0.86 to 0.96. The trends for Youth have high internal consistency and excellent test-retest reliability, with data from the current study showing a high Cronbach’s alpha.98. Reliability and validity in research guarantee that the data are correct and repeatable and that the findings are trustworthy.
Validity
In defining the study’s validity, the researchers consider concurrent validity as the degree to which the same respondents have the same score after some time when the trait should not have changed. The research established validity in several ways, including examining internal structure using principal axis factor analysis. In terms of discriminant validity, the BYI demonstrates good discriminant validity. The test re-test reliability correlation coefficients have been found to range from 0.74 to 0.93. The test is helpful as the inventories facilitate the assessment of comorbidity, which is common in youth disorders.
Annotated Bibliography
Blomqvist, I., Ekbäck, E., Dennhag, I., & Henje, E. (2021). Validation of the Swedish version of the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale second edition (RADS-2) in a normative sample. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, 75(4), 292-300.
The researchers acknowledge an increase in the prevalence of clinical depression in adolescents. Researchers require internationally validated complex and multifaceted assessment instruments. The research aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of RADS-2. The sample comprised of n = 637 students with n = 389 females and n = 248 males with mean age of 15.73 (SD = 1.76); 12–20 years. In conclusion, the researchers concluded that the Swedish version of the RADS-2 demonstrated adequate levels of reliability and validity in a Swedish normative sample.
Ensink, K., BĂ©gin, M., Kotiuga, J., Sharp, C., & Normandin, L. (2020). Psychometric properties of the french version of the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children and Adolescents. Adolescent Psychiatry, 10(1), 48-58.
The researchers admit that the Borderline Personality Feature Scale for Children (BPFS-C) is the sole dimensional assessment of childhood and borderline adolescent traits. This research seeks to evaluate the psychometric features of the French BPFS-C. A community sample of 394 teens and young adults participated in the Borderline Personality Features. In the results, the long and short French BPFS-C have a strong and positive correlation and convergent validity. The research indicates that the more succinct and extended versions of the French BPFS-C have solid psychometric qualities.
Hendry, K., Ownsworth, T., Waters, A. M., Jackson, M., & Lloyd, O. (2020). Investigation of children and adolescents mood and self-concept after acquired brain injury. Child neuropsychology, 26(8), 1005-1025.
The research investigates the self-reported health and well-being of children with acquired brain damage (ABI). The study aims to determine the prevalence of child-reported depression, anxious symptoms, and low self-esteem. In the study, 122 children with ABI of mixed etiology aged 8 to 16 years, comprising 66% males, were sequentially recruited via a rehabilitation service clinic. In comparison, 16.4% of children registered in the clinical range on depressive symptomatology assessments, and 24.6% reported clinically poor self-esteem. The results suggest that teenage females, in particular, may be at a greater risk for poor mental health after an ABI.
Pickren, W., & Rutherford, A. (2010). A history of modern psychology in context. John Wiley & Sons.
The book by Wade E. Pickren and Alexandra Rutherford presents the history of modern psychology in context. The history of psychology is recounted in several ways, from numerous vantage points and for multiple objectives. The scholars seek to answer the questions; how does the historian choose who or what is significant enough to be included? The book describes the lives and careers of those who have contributed significantly to the subject. Biography, an exceptionally well-written biography, offers fascinating reading and can disclose a great deal, not just about its issues but also about the eras in which they lived and the influences on their ideas.
Spies, R. A., Carlson, J. F., & Geisinger, K. F. (2010). The eighteenth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. 1(1), 41-45.
The researchers note that the significance of testing in our daily lives has been more crucial and obviously has never been more important. The Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) series is published as an invaluable resource for anybody engaged in the evaluation, selection, or administration of professionally published examinations. This volume of the MMY series evaluates BYI-II in children 7-14 as the most recent assessments in the fields of education, sociology, healthcare, psychotherapy, and leadership. The book provides professional insights with a specialized knowledge-based guide in a variety of psychological distress in children, including depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behavior, and self-concept.