Psychometric properties of Psychopathology checklists for Adults with Intellectual Disability (P-AID) on a community sample of adults with intellectual disability.
P-AID gives reliable community screening for psychiatric disorders in adults with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested the P-AID checklists on adults with intellectual disability living in group homes. Staff who knew the adults filled out the forms. The goal was to see if the checklists give steady scores across raters and hang together as one tool.
What they found
The checklists held up well. Internal consistency was high, meaning items within each section fit together. Inter-rater reliability landed in the moderate-to-good range, so two staff usually scored the same person alike. A clean four-factor structure emerged, backing the way the tool groups symptoms.
How this fits with other research
Gravestock (2003) wrote the DC-LD guide that P-AID is built on, so this study is the next step that proves the lists work in the field. Madden et al. (2003) created the ADAMS, an earlier DC-LD mood tool that also showed strong reliability; P-AID widens the lens to cover all major psychiatric syndromes. McLennan et al. (2008) validated the HADS for ID the same year, but their adapted scale kept the original anxiety-depression focus and showed a messy factor pattern. P-AID keeps things clearer by using DC-LD wording from the start.
Why it matters
You now have a free, staff-friendly screener that flags psychiatric needs in adults with ID. Use it during intake, annual reviews, or any time behavior changes. A quick score can start the referral conversation and help you track if treatment is working.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The DC-LD is a new classification system providing operationalized diagnostic criteria in recognition of lacking applicability of standard psychiatric criteria for adults with intellectual disability. This study attempts to evaluate internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and factor structure of the Psychopathology Checklists for Adults with Intellectual Disability (P-AID), a set of checklists developed from the DC-LD. The P-AID checklists comprising 10 psychiatric diagnoses and 8 types of problem behaviors were filled in by staff at community based homes for adults with intellectual disability in Western Norway. A total of 593 were returned (66%) of which 83 had two sets of checklists. Intellectual disability was administratively defined. Alpha (alpha) values for the total P-AID checklists indicating high internal consistency. The inter-rater reliability measured by ICC showed values between 0.63 and 0.88 in 8 of 10 psychopathology Checklists. Factor analysis indicated four orthogonal units measured by the P-AID. Issues regarding sensitivity and specificity are discussed. This study is the first attempt to develop and evaluate Psychopathology Checklists based on the DC-LD. The results from this study indicate the P-AID can be used in identifying mental health needs at a detailed diagnostic level.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2008 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.09.002