LifeCourse A Melbourne Children's Research Initiative

Domain

Mental health and behaviour problems

These measures have been identified as commonly used measures within the LifeCourse cohorts. These measures were identified to encourage potential opportunities for data harmonisation. The descriptions provided are intended to give cohort custodians and data users some common criteria to assess a survey for appropriateness to use in their own studies. It is not intended to mandate the use of any measure, or provide a comprehensive understanding of these measures.

This information was collated by the LifeCourse team from scoring manuals and documentation, publications, and official measure websites. To read about this process in more detail, access our report.

Common measures
Appears in

Measure	No. of cohorts using measure	Cost and accessibility	Time to complete	Key reference/s and measure information	Reference frame	Constructs assessed by measure	Age range
AAQ: Adult Attachment Questionnaire	3	Free to use and access	5 minutes (estimate)	Simpson, J. A., Rholes, W. S., & Nelligan, J. S. (1992). Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: The role of attachment styles. Journal of personality and social psychology, 62(3), 434. Simpson, J. A., Rholes, S. W., & Phillips, D. (1996). Conflict in close relationships: An attachment perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 899-914. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.71.5.899	In general	Attachment behaviour Attachment behaviour Intimate partner relationship	Self-report 18+ years
CBCL:1½ – 5: Child Behaviour Checklist for ages 1½ – 5	3	$40 per 50 units	10-20 minutes	Achenbach, T.M. and Rescorla, L.A. (2000). Manual for the ASEBA preschool forms & profiles: an integrated system of multi-informant assessment. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth & Families https://aseba.org/preschool/	Now or within the past 2 months	Aggressive behaviour Anxiety Depression Disturbance of attention Emotional problems Problem behaviour Social behaviour Somatic syndrome Sleep problem	Parent report, 18 months – 5 years old
Kessler-K6: The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale - K6 version	9	Free to use Not currently pre-programmed into REDCap	~2 minutes	Kessler, R.C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.L., Walters, E.E. and Zaslavsky, A.M. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med, 32(6): 959-76. doi: 10.1017/S0033291702006074 Kessler, R.C., Barker, P.R., Colpe, L.J., Epstein, J.F., Gfroerer, J.C., Hiripi, E., Howes, M.J., Normand, S.L., Manderscheid, R.W., Walters, E.E. and Zaslavsky, A.M. (2003). Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 60(2): 184-9. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.60.2.184 Furukawa, T.A., Kessler, R.C., Slade, T. and Andrews, G. (2003). The performance of the K6 and K10 screening scales for psychological distress in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Psychol Med, 33(2): 357-62. doi: 10.1017/S0033291702006700	Past 4 weeks (28 days)	Anxiety Depression	Self-report, 18+ years
PedsQL 4.0: Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – 4.0 Generic Core Scales	9	MCRI has a site-wide license, and comes at a reduced cost for MCRI researchers. Find out more here. This measure is pre-programmed into REDCap for MCRI researchers. Find out more here.	5-10 minutes (estimate)	Varni, J. W., Burwinkle, T. M., Seid, M., & Skarr, D. (2003). The PedsQL™* 4.0 as a pediatric population health measure: feasibility, reliability, and validity. Ambulatory pediatrics, 3(6), 329-341. DOI: 10.1367/1539-4409(2003)003<0329:tpaapp>2.0.co;2	Past one month	School functioning Emotional problems Psychosocial functioning Activity of daily living Psychosocial functioning Quality of Life	Parent report for toddlers (ages 2-4) Child and parent report for young children (ages 5-7) Children (ages 8-12) Teens (ages 13-18) Young adults (ages 18-26) Adults (ages over 26)
SATI: School Aged Temperament Inventory	5	Publicly available, no cost, permission not needed	~10 minutes (estimate)	McClowry, S.G. (1995). The development of the School-Age Temperament Inventory. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41: 271-285.	Current state	Emotional adjustment Hyperactive behaviour Social behaviour Persistence Emotional adjustment Persistence Temperament	Parent report, index child aged 4-12
SCQ: Social Communication Questionnaire	5	$96.14 per pack of 20 via Pearson website. Not currently pre-programmed into REDCap.	10 minutes	Rutter, M., Bailey, A. and Lord, C. (2003). The social communication questionnaire: Manual. Western Psychological Services. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1651 Further information via Pearson website.	Past 3 months	Pervasive developmental disorder Communication skills Pervasive developmental disorder Social skills Communication skills Social skills	Parent report, index child aged 4+
SDQ: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire	17	MCRI has a site-wide license, with a usage charge. Find out more here. This measure has been pre-programmed into REDCap. MCRI researchers can find out more here.	5-10 minutes	Goodman, R. (1997). The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 38(5): 581-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1997.tb01545.x Hawes, D.J. and Dadds, M.R. (2004). Australian data and psychometric properties of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Aust N Z J Psychiatry, 38(8): 644-51. doi: 10.1080/j.1440-1614.2004.01427.x https://www.sdqinfo.org/ A database of SDQ publications is available here.	Last six months, or this school year	Conduct disorder Emotional problems Hyperactive behaviour Psychosocial functioning Peer relationship Prosocial behaviour Psychosocial functioning	Parent or teacher report (2-17 years) Self-report (11-17 years)
SSIS: Social Skills Improvement System	3	$47-84 per quantity of 25, price varies depending on format of materials and target age range	10-25 minutes per form	Gresham, F. and Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social skills improvement system (SSIS) rating scales. Bloomington, MN: Pearson Assessments	Current state	Educational achievement Hyperactive behaviour Pervasive developmental disorder Problem behaviour Social behaviour Communication skills Pervasive developmental disorder Bullying Communication skills	Versions for parent, teacher and student (ages 8-18 only) report 3-18 years
STST: Short Temperament Scale for Toddlers	4	Pending clarification	~5 minutes (estimate)	The STST is an Australian Temperament Project adaptation of the Toddler Temperament Scale. Fullard, W., McDevitt, S.C. and Carey, W.B. (1984). Assessing temperament in one- to three-year old children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9: 205-216. DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/9.2.205 Prior, M., Sanson, A., Oberklaid, F. and Northam, E. (1987). Measurement of temperament in 1 to 3 year old children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 10: 121-132. DOI: 10.1177/016502548701000108 Sewell, J., Oberklaid, F., Prior, M., Sanson, A. and Kyrios, M. (1988). Temperament in Australian toddlers. Australian Paediatric Journal, 24: 343-345. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1988.tb01385.x	Current state	Fussy infant Hyperactive behaviour Attention Persistence Prosocial behaviour Fussy infant Persistence Temperament	Parent report, index child ages 1-3, but can be administered beyond 36 months