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In the present study, Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD) rating scale developed by Pelham, Gnagy, Greenslade, and Milich (1992) was translated and adapted for the assessment of childhood behavioral problems in Pakistani children. The DBD rating scale was translated into Urdu using back-translation technique and validated through factor analysis. Primary class children in the age range of 9 to 13 years (N = 280; mean age = 9.98 years), including 179 boys (mean age = 9.98 years) and 101 girls (mean age = 9.97 years) were rated by their class teachers on Urdu DBD rating scale. The alpha coefficients for the subscales of Urdu DBD rating scale ranged from .80 to .91. Exploratory Factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution for the Urdu DBD rating scale.
Keywords: disruptive behavior, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, exploratory factor analysis, cross-cultural validation
There are a number of current approaches to the description and classification of disruptive behaviour disorders. In the Diagnostic Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) (American Psychological Association; APA, 1994), two diagnostic categories Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and Conduct Disorder (CD) are described as disruptive behavior disorders. For a diagnosis, these behaviors must have a higher frequency than is generally seen in other children of similar developmental level and age. Furthermore, the behaviors must lead to meaningful impairment in academic and social functioning.
Conduct disorder is the most common childhood emotional and behavioral disorders affecting children of preschool and elementary school. These children usually face problems in their families and in school. In early school age peer rejection and academic problems are the most common one (Kazdin, 1997). These children are often engaged in a variety of behaviors that are costly to themselves, their families, and society at large (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2003). Timely assessment of these children can be proven helpful in solving their behavioral problems and facilitate their everyday life. Another important disruptive behavior is Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), which is viewed as having two factors (a) inattention and (b) hyperactivity/impulsivity. These two factors compose three subtypes of ADHD symptoms: Predominantly Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive, and Combined Type. This re-conceptualization of ADHD has been reported in DSM-IV (APA, 1994).
ADHD, CD, ODD, and comorbidity of these disorders in children require proper assessment and diagnosis which can be made...