Depression in mentally retarded children.
Everyday depression checklists already work for kids with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sievert et al. (1988) gave two common mood checklists to kids in a hospital unit.
All children had intellectual disability plus emotional problems.
They compared scores to kids without disabilities matched on age and sex.
What they found
The hospital group scored higher on every part of both scales.
Depression, low self-esteem, and sadness all stood out.
The regular scales could tell the two groups apart.
How this fits with other research
Lalli et al. (1995) later saw the same kids also show suicidal actions, so screening for mood is only step one.
Sterling et al. (2015) tried the RCADS with high-functioning autistic youth and got weaker results; the scales seem to work better when IQ is lower.
Bellalou et al. (2021) built a brand-new scale for autistic kids, showing the field still wants tools tuned to each group.
Why it matters
You can trust the CDI and CBP to flag depression in kids with ID. No need to hunt for special forms. Just hand the parent or teacher the same sheet you use with typical kids and watch for high scores. If the numbers climb, start your full assessment and loop in mental-health partners.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Thirty-one mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children, hospitalized within a university medical school's psychiatric intensive care program, were matched on age and sex and compared to 31 children from a normal school setting on depression. Measures included the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Child Behavior Profile (CBP), with children being compared on total and subfactor scores for both measures. Depression and its various subcomponents were more prevalent in the mentally retarded group. There were no significant sex or age differences. Degree of overall psychopathology and depression were highly related. The relationship between criteria for depression on the CDI and CBC were also made. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures, an important finding because they were based on norms established with children of normal intelligence. These data suggest that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded children and those without such cognitive handicaps. The relationship of depression to other forms of psychopathology in the group of 31 emotionally disturbed mentally retarded children was also examined. A wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, aggression, withdrawal, and hyperactivity were evaluated. These are the first empirical data with mentally retarded children in the United States that are aimed specifically at evaluating depression, and should be useful to the clinicians in better understanding the phenomenon.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1988 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(88)90018-2