Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory (CADBI)

Abstract

The Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behaviour Inventory (CADBI), developed by Burns, Rusby, and colleagues (2001a), is a concise 25-item rating scale utilized by parents and teachers to assess a wide array of problem behaviors commonly exhibited during childhood and adolescence. Designed to serve as both a screening and diagnostic aid, the CADBI is distinguished by its close alignment with the diagnostic criteria established in the DSM-IV for externalizing disorders. The inventory consists of three primary subscales measuring symptoms related to Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Inattention, and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity. It has been validated for use with children and adolescents ranging from 3 to 18 years of age and is freely available, addressing issues of cost and length found in many alternative measures of disruptive behavior.

Keywords

Disruptive Behavior, ADHD, ODD, Conduct Disorder, Externalizing Behavior, Child Assessment, Parent Rating Scale, Teacher Rating Scale.

Authors

Leonard Burns, Julie Rusby, T.K. Taylor.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behaviour Inventory (CADBI) is to provide a standardized, efficient, and psychometrically sound method for assessing the frequency and severity of disruptive behaviors in youth. By utilizing both parent and teacher reports, the instrument aims to capture symptoms across multiple settings, which is essential for the accurate evaluation of externalizing disorders.

A key secondary objective in the CADBI’s creation was to develop an accessible instrument. The authors aimed to produce a free, valid measure with a moderate number of items (25 total). This design choice was intended to mitigate common barriers in assessment, such as high copyright costs and excessive administration time, thereby promoting greater cooperation and compliance among parents and clinicians (Burns et al., 2001a).

Construct

The CADBI measures the psychological construct of Externalizing Behavior, specifically focusing on the symptoms of disruptive behavior as categorized by the DSM-IV. The 25 items are distributed across three distinct subscales that reflect the core symptom clusters of related clinical diagnoses: Oppositional Defiant Behaviour, Inattention, and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity.

The measure is designed to assess all specific diagnostic criteria for three major externalizing disorders: Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. The close correspondence between the CADBI items and the formal diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV provides a clear advantage over some legacy measures, although the scale itself is not intended to be used as the sole determinant for a formal clinical diagnosis (Burns et al., 2001a).

Validity

Several studies have provided substantial evidence supporting the validity of the CADBI as a reliable measure of disruptive behavior. Specifically, the instrument has demonstrated strong predictive validity. Teacher ratings across the ODD, Inattention, and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity dimensions successfully predicted independent observer ratings of the same behavior dimensions within a classroom setting, yielding correlation coefficients (r) ranging from .64 to .69 (Burns & Walsh, 2002).

Furthermore, the scale has demonstrated acceptable structural validity, confirming that the items load appropriately onto the intended three-factor model (Burns & Walsh, 2002). In an international context, Gomez et al. (2005) validated the scale using a large sample of 1475 Australian children (Mean Age = 8.28) through comparison with the DSM-IV AD/HD Rating Scale, further supporting its construct validity across different populations.

Reliability

The CADBI has consistently demonstrated high levels of reliability across its subscales. Measures of internal consistency, calculated using Cronbach’s α, have been found to range exceptionally high, between .91 and .97. This indicates strong homogeneity and inter-relatedness among the items designed to measure each specific symptom cluster.

The stability of the measure over time has been confirmed through robust test-retest reliability findings. When administered to subjects at a 3-month interval, the subscales showed high temporal stability, with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from .86 to .94 (Burns & Walsh, 2002). These results affirm that the CADBI provides consistent and dependable measurement results.

Factor Analysis

The empirical foundation for the CADBI’s structure rests on factor analytic work confirming its structural validity (Burns & Walsh, 2002). The scale is structured according to a three-factor model mirroring the core diagnostic dimensions of externalizing disorders.

Burns et al. (2001) conducted a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) specifically examining the structure of the DSM-IV symptoms for ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. This research provided the theoretical and statistical underpinning for the CADBI’s organization, ensuring that the final three subscales accurately reflect the latent structure of disruptive symptoms.

Instrument

Test Type: Screening and Diagnostic Tool; Parent and Teacher Informant Rating Scale

Format: The instrument consists of 25 items. Each item is rated on an 8-point Likert scale, ranging from one (“Never in the past month”) to eight (“10 or more times per day”).

Language Available: English (Primary validation studies).

Population Group: Children and Adolescents.

Age Group: 3 to 18 years. While the measure has been tested and validated across this age range, the authors note that clinical judgement is necessary when determining its appropriateness for specific clients due to the lack of a formally specified age range in the documentation.

Population Details: The measure has been utilized and validated in studies across the United States and internationally, including a significant validation study involving Australian children.

Test Methodology: Informant-report questionnaire completed by parents or teachers. The measure can typically be administered in approximately ten minutes.

Keywords

Psychological Assessment, Externalizing Disorders, Rating Scale, Questionnaire, Likert scale, Hyperactivity, Impulsivity, Inattention.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Department of Psychology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behaviour Inventory (CADBI) was first introduced in 2001 (Burns et al., 2001a). The creators intentionally designed the scale to be a free and valid instrument, thereby avoiding the common issue of costly copyright fees associated with many psychological assessment tools. The CADBI is generally freely available for use by researchers and clinicians.

The CADBI is freely available from various sources, including the Center on Early Adolescence, which provides access via the following link: http://measures.earlyadolescence.org/measures/view/40/

Reference’s

• Burns, GL., Taylor, TK., & Rusby, J. C. (2001a) Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavior Inventory 2.3: Parent Version. Pullman: Washington State University, Department of Psychology.
• Burns, G. L., Boe, B., Walsh, J. A., Sommers-Flanagan, R., & Teegarden, L. A. (2001). A Confirmatory Factory Analysis on the DSM-IV ADHD and ODD Symptoms: What is the Best Model for th Organization of These Symptoms? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 29, 339-349.
• Burns, G. L., & Walsh, J. A. (2002). The Influence of ADHD-Hyperactivity/Impulsivity Symptoms on the Development of Oppositional Defiant Disorder Symptoms in a 2-year Longitudinal Study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 245-256.
• Gomez, R., Burns, G., Walsh, L., & Hafetz, J. (2005). A Multitrait–Multisource Confirmatory Factor Analytic Approach to the Construct Validity of ADHD and ODD Rating Scales with Malaysian Children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33(2), 241-254.

Items of the Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behaviour Inventory (CADBI)

Sample items from the oppositional defiant behaviour subscales include:

• “Annoys peers on purpose”
• “Loses temper or gets angry with adults when doesn’t get own way”
• “refuses to obey adult’s requests or rules.”