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Criterion‐Related Validity of Challenging Behaviour Scales: A Review of Evidence in the Literature
Author(s) -
Turton Raistrick W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12098
Subject(s) - psycinfo , criterion validity , psychology , incremental validity , external validity , scale (ratio) , psychological intervention , construct validity , predictive validity , internal validity , quality (philosophy) , test validity , medline , clinical psychology , applied psychology , psychometrics , social psychology , statistics , psychiatry , mathematics , physics , philosophy , epistemology , quantum mechanics , political science , law
Background Behaviour that challenges has negative impacts on physical and emotional well‐being and quality of life. Challenging behaviour scales are used to identify needs and evaluate interventions and must be valid measures. Criterion‐related validity is important, and the best quality assessment uses direct measures of behaviour as criteria. Previous reviews of scales affirm their validity but present little supporting evidence. The current review examines the evidence presented in studies of validity. Methods Searches of MEDLINE and PsycINFO to identify scales that focus on challenging behaviour and find publications that assess their criterion‐related validity. Results Searches identified twelve scales and 21 publications that assess validity. One assessment used direct measures of behaviour, and the remainder used indirect measures that themselves have limited evidence of validity, including membership of diagnostic or service groups and other scales. Conclusions Little firm evidence of validity was found, but what was found is encouraging.