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Adaptation and Validation of the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule for Use With High School Dropouts
Author(s) -
Dupéré Véronique,
Dion Eric,
Harkness Kate,
McCabe Julie,
Thouin Éliane,
Parent Sophie
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12296
Subject(s) - stressor , psychology , psychosocial , concurrent validity , inter rater reliability , reliability (semiconductor) , clinical psychology , population , developmental psychology , schedule , predictive validity , adaptation (eye) , dropout (neural networks) , psychometrics , psychiatry , medicine , environmental health , rating scale , computer science , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , machine learning , internal consistency , operating system
The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule ( LEDS ) is considered the standard for measuring psychosocial stressor exposure, but it has not been used with academically at‐risk adolescents, including high school dropouts. The goal of this study was to (1) adapt the LEDS for use with this population, and (2) examine the reliability (interrater) and validity (concurrent and predictive) of this adaptation among a sample of vulnerable adolescents ( N = 545). Good reliability coefficients (.79–.90) were obtained, and stressor exposure was associated with concurrent criteria indexing mental health outcomes (depression) and major risk factors for dropout (administratively recorded and self‐reported). Also, LEDS scores predicted dropout beyond these risk factors. The adapted LEDS appears useful for describing academically struggling adolescents’ stressor exposure.