ERIC Number: EJ1468831
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-04-13
Applicability and Psychometric Properties of General Mental Health Assessment Tools in Autistic People: A Systematic Review
Marianne Berg Halvorsen1; Arvid Nikolai Kildahl2,3; Sabine Kaiser4; Brynhildur Axelsdottir5; Michael G. Aman6,7; Sissel Berge Helverschou2
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n5 p1713-1726 2025
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of instruments for assessing mental health (MH) among autistic people. This study aimed to review the psychometric properties of broadband instruments used to assess MH problems among autistic people. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO: CRD42022316571) we searched the APA PsycINFO via Ovid, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase and the Web of Science via Clarivate databases from 1980 to March 2022, with an updated search in January 2024, to identify very recent empirical studies. Independent reviewers evaluated the titles and abstracts of the retrieved records (n = 11,577) and full-text articles (n = 1000). Data were extracted from eligible studies, and the quality of the included papers was appraised. In all, 164 empirical articles reporting on 35 instruments were included. The review showed variable evidence of reliability and validity of the various instruments. Among the instruments reported in more than one study, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist had consistently good or excellent psychometric evidence. The reliability and validity of other instruments, including: the Developmental Behavior Checklist, Emotion Dysregulation Inventory, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, Autism Spectrum Disorder-Comorbid for Children Scale, and Psychopathology in Autism Checklist, were less documented. There is a need for a greater evidence-base for MH assessment tools for autistic people.
Descriptors: Psychometrics, Mental Health, Clinical Diagnosis, Evaluation Methods, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Screening Tests, Test Reliability, Test Validity, Behavior Problems, Check Lists, Child Behavior, Measures (Individuals)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Aberrant Behavior Checklist; Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University Hospital of North Norway, Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Tromsø, Norway; 2NevSom Norwegian Centre of Expertise for Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Hypersomnias, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 3Regional Section Mental Health, Oslo University Hospital, Intellectual Disabilities/Autism, Oslo, Norway; 4Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare (RKBU North), UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; 5Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Eastern and Southern Norway, Oslo, Norway; 6Ohio State University, Columbus, USA; 7University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Ohio State University, Nisonger Center, Columbus, USA