Self-reported competencies and behavior problems among Brazilian adolescents: A validation study of the Youth Self-Report (YSR/2001).

• Grant number: 06/05555-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2008
• End date: June 30, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Edwiges Ferreira de Mattos Silvares
• Grantee: Marina Monzani da Rocha
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) is world wide used mainly because it documents the client functioning from multiple perspectives, with standardized procedures that allow comparison of results among researchers, even within cross cultural studies. Moreover, ASEBA forms have tools to evaluate a broad spectrum of psychopathology and are economical, in terms of both money and time. Several studies have been carried through to validate the versions of the forms elaborated for use in countries with language and culture different from American, due to the fact that it is important to standardize the evaluation procedures to the culture where they are going to be used. Considering that it is important to know what the problems are, so it is possible to plain clinical intervention and prevention strategy, the aim of the present study is the validation of the Brazilian version of Achenbach "Youth Self-Report", questionnaire that ask youths to rate their competences and behavior problems. Studies with the same propose have not been done in Brazil. To fulfill this objective, adolescents referred to psychological support at the University Psychological Center of the Psychological Institute of the University of São Paulo and others university psychological centers of the country (with the collaboration of professors and researchers from ten Brazilian universities) will be invited to answer the questionnaire and will compose the group called "Referred". "Non-Referred" group of youths, matched in age and sex will be invited to fill the form during a class at school period. To verify the confiability of the Brazilian version of the questionnaire, 100 "Non-Referred"; adolescents will be asked to answer the form again, within one week. The statistics analysis will follow same methodological procedures attained by Achenbach in the original study, considering the following variables: sex, age range, school type, SES, and city where data was collected.