Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) in the assessment of psychopathology in Finnish children with intellectual disability

Abstract

We evaluated the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) in the assessment of psychopathology in a Finnish population of children with intellectual disability. Disruptive behaviour was more common in children with mild intellectual disability, and problems with social interaction and communication in those with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disability. The frequency of psychiatric disturbances was 34.1%, with the highest rate occurring in children with moderate intellectual disability. Compared with the original standardisation data published by Einfeld and Tonge (1994), our mean Total Behaviour Problem Score (TBPS) and frequency of psychiatric disturbance were lower. Our study suggests that the DBC is a good instrument for discriminating between children with intellectual disability with and without emotional or psychiatric disturbance.