Key references:

• Waschbusch, D. A., & Elgar, F. J. (2007). Development and validation of the conduct disorder rating scale. Assessment, 14, 65-74.
• Fabiana. G. A, Pelham, W. E., Waschbusch, D. A., Gnagy, E. M., Lahey, B. B., et al. (2006). A Practical Measure of Impairment: Psychometric Properties of the Impairment Rating Scale in Samples of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Two School-Based Samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35(3), 369–385.

Primary use / Purpose:

The purpose of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- For Parents (CDRS-P) is to allow for measurement of conduct disorder (CD). The CDRS-P is a Likert-type scale with scores ranging from 1-4 which measures CD in line with current conceptualizations as described in the DSM-IV. The fifteen symptoms used in the scale are taken directly from the DSM-IV definition of CD.

Background:

It is considered a public health priority to effectively manage the troublesome behavior of disorderly adolescents and children. Conduct disorder (CD) is estimated to affect up to 5% of children between the ages of four and sixteen and is often linked to drug abuse, violence, and sexual victimization. Therefore it is important to have reliable and consistent measures of CD. However, many existing scales measure CD is ways that are not wholly consistent with the criteria set out in the DSM-IV. To address this shortcoming Waschbusch & Elgar (2007) developed the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-P).

Psychometrics:

The psychometric properties of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-P) are discussed in Waschbusch & Elgar, (2007).