Parenting stress and depression in children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
The CDI validly flags depression in kids with developmental delays, yet slow language growth can mask or mimic mood items, so re-screen later and watch the data alongside parenting-stress trends.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Brown et al. (1994) asked if the Children’s Depression Inventory works for kids with developmental delays.
Parents filled out the same CDI form used with typical kids. The team also collected parenting-stress scores and child-behavior ratings.
What they found
The CDI picked up the same sad-mood, low-energy, and self-blame items seen in other children.
Higher child CDI scores lined up with higher parenting stress and more problem behaviors reported at home.
How this fits with other research
Kowalczyk et al. (2026) later warned that CDI-style checklists can miss kids who show slow language growth. Their review still keeps H et al. in the “valid” pile, but only when you also track the child’s language level over time.
Katz et al. (2003) echoed the same trust-your-checklist message. They showed the PDDBI, another parent form, reliably tracks change in preschoolers with PDD. Together the two papers say: caregiver ratings work, just pick the scale that matches your target skill.
Kumar et al. (2025) widen the lens. Their meta-analysis found small but real quality-of-life drops in children with coordination delays. H et al. help explain why: emotional symptoms are part of the daily-life hit parents feel.
Why it matters
You can pull out a CDI right now for any school-age client with ID or DD. Score it the normal way, but pair it with a quick language sample or recent CDI-language form. If scores clash, schedule a re-check in three months instead of relying on one snapshot.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Give the CDI to a parent whose child has DD, note any high items, then add a language checklist—plan a follow-up in 4–6 weeks to see if mood scores move with new words.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although many types of behavioral and emotional disorders are prevalent in children with developmental delays, the phenomenology of childhood depression in this population remains poorly understood. This study examined the relationships among symptoms of depression, child problem behaviors, and parenting stress in a sample of 29 children with developmental delays. Results supported the usefulness of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) in assessing depression in these children initially reported by Matson, Barrett, and Helsel (1988). Parent ratings from the CDI were significantly associated with maternal depression, an index of DSM-III-R depression criteria, and negative self-image, anxiety, and conduct problems in children. A matched subsample of children (n = 12) with high versus low depression ratings revealed significant differences in total scores from the Parenting Stress Index (Abidin, 1986) and the index of DSM-III-R depression criteria. Together, these data suggest that children with developmental delays exhibit a similar pattern of symptoms and associated characteristics to those found in normal children with diagnoses of depression.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1994 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(94)90012-4