Behaviour problems in people with intellectual disabilities: validation of the French version of the Behaviour Problems Inventory - Short Form.
The French BPI-S is a reliable way to track self-injury, aggression and stereotypy in French-speaking clients with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Titlestad et al. (2019) tested the French version of the Behavior Problems Inventory-Short Form. They checked if the French BPI-S still measures self-injury, aggression and stereotypy in people with intellectual disability.
Researchers looked at internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. They wanted to see if the tool works the same way in French as it does in English.
What they found
The French BPI-S showed good internal consistency. Different raters also agreed well on the scores.
The study found positive results. The tool is ready for French-speaking clinicians to use.
How this fits with other research
This study follows the same path as Christopher et al. (1991) and LeSage et al. (1996). Those teams validated English behavior rating forms for people with ID decades ago. Titlestad et al. (2019) extends that work into French.
Iosa et al. (2012) did something similar with the Italian SPAID-G. Both groups translated a tool, then proved it still works in the new language.
Nikolov et al. (2009) shortened the QABF while keeping its five factors. Titlestad et al. (2019) used an already-short form, but both papers show you can trim items without losing reliability.
Why it matters
If you serve French-speaking clients with ID, you now have a solid tool to measure problem behavior. Use the French BPI-S to track self-injury, aggression and stereotypy over time. It gives you numbers you can trust and share with parents and psychiatrists.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
OBJECTIVE: The risk for the development of severe behaviour problems by individuals with intellectual disability (ID) is a well-known concern. However, there are currently no reliable instruments for assessing these behaviours in French. The Behaviour Problems Inventory - Short Form (BPI-S) assesses these three types of behaviour in people with ID: self-injurious behaviour (eight items), aggressive/destructive behaviours (10 items) and stereotypic behaviours (12 items). The purpose of this study was to conduct a psychometric study of a French version of the BPI-S. METHOD: Data were collected on 305 children, adolescents and young adults with ID 50 care workers in seven specialised institutions in France as informants. We examined the scale's factorial structure (using confirmatory factor analysis), internal consistency and inter-rater reliability. We also established preliminary French norms. RESULTS: Our results show that the French BPI-S has a factorial structure similar to that of the English version. It has good internal consistency. The internal consistency of the frequency ratings was 0.91 and 0.62 for the severity ratings. The BPI-S has a good inter-rater reliability with acceptable coefficients for the frequency ratings (Self Injurious Behaviour (SIB) = 0.81; Aggressive-Destructive behaviour = 0.66; Stereotyped behaviours = 0.75) and for the severity ratings (SIB = 0.92; Aggressive-Destructive behaviour = 0.54). The data also show that the frequency and severity of behaviours differ based on the level of ID. CONCLUSIONS: The French version of the BPI-S has good psychometric properties for assessing problem behaviours in children, adolescents and young adults. This scale can be used for research and clinical evaluation of disorders associated with ID.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2019 · doi:10.1111/jir.12612