The Assessment of Affective Disorders in Children and Adolescents by Semistructured Interview

TLDR

The study employed a semistructured Kiddie SADS interview in a test‑retest design with 52 children aged 6–17, administered by three pairs of interviewers. Reliability was acceptable for depressive symptoms, composite scales, three depressive diagnoses, and conduct disorder, but anxiety disorders were largely unreliable except for separation anxiety, and overall reliability was lower than in adult SADS studies.

Abstract

The reliability of assessment of Research Diagnostic Criteria and DSM-III axis I affective disorders in children and adolescents was studied using a semistructured diagnostic interview. The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) for School-Age Children (Kiddie SADS) Present Episode Version, an adaptation of the adult SADS for children was used. Fifty-two subjects, aged 6 through 17 years, were interviewed in a test-retest format by one of three pairs of interviewers. Assessment of symptoms and composite scales of the depressive syndrome were determined to have acceptable reliability, as were three depressive diagnoses. Conduct disorder was assessed with high reliability. Four anxiety disorders and their composite symptoms were assessed with unacceptable reliability; only separation anxiety was assessed with acceptable reliability. The results of this study showed generally lower reliability of symptoms, scales, and diagnoses than did two studies of adults using the SADS.