Table of Contents
Background:
It is considered a public health priority to effectively manage the troublesome behaviour of disorderly adolescents and children. Conduct disorder (CD) is estimated to affect up to 5% of children between the ages of four and sixteen and is often linked to drug abuse, violence, and sexual victimization. Therefore it is important to have reliable and consistent measures of CD. However, many existing scales measure CD is ways which are not wholly consistent with the criteria set out in the DSM-IV. To address this shortcoming Waschbusch & Elgar (2007) developed the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-P).
Psychometrics:
The psychometric properties of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-P) are discussed in Waschbusch & Elgar, (2007).
Author of Tool:
Waschbusch, D. A., & Elgar, F. J.
Key references:
Waschbusch, D. A., & Elgar, F. J. (2007). Development and validation of the conduct disorder rating scale. Assessment, 14, 65-74.
Fabiana. G. A, Pelham, W. E., Waschbusch, D. A., Gnagy, E. M., Lahey, B. B., et al. (2006). A Practical Measure of Impairment: Psychometric Properties of the Impairment Rating Scale in Samples of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Two School-Based Samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35(3), 369–385.
Primary use / Purpose:
The purpose of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- For Parents (CDRS-P) is to allow for measurement of conduct disorder (CD). The CDRS-P is a Likert-type scale with scores ranging from 1-4 which measures CD in line with current conceptualizations as described in the DSM-IV. The fifteen symptom used in the scale are taken directly form the DSM-IV definition of CD.
Conduct Disorder Rating Scale – Parent Version
- Child Name:
- Age:
- Grade:
- Sex (circle one): Boy Girl
- Today’s Date:
- Your Name:
- Relationship to child:
INSTRUCTIONS: Listed below are items that describe children’s behaviour. Read each item carefully and check the box that best describes this child’s behavior for the past 12 months. You may put DK next to any item that you do not know or do not wish to answer.
| In the past 12 months, your child… | Never | Once | Monthly | Weekly | Daily |
| 1. Has run away from home overnight at least twice while living in parent’s or guardian’s home (or one time without returning for a long period) | |||||
| 2. Lies to get things he/she wants, or to get favours from others, or to avoid obligations (i.e., ‘cons’ others) | |||||
| 3. Starts physical fights | |||||
| 4. Has been physically cruel to people | |||||
| 5. Has stolen things of value without confronting a victim (e.g., shoplifting; forgery) | |||||
| 6. Skips school | |||||
| 7. Has broken into someone else’s house, building, or car | |||||
| 8. Has deliberately set fires to try and cause serious damage | |||||
| 9. Has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery) | |||||
| 10. Stays out at night despite parental rules | |||||
| 11. Has forced someone into sexual activity | |||||
| 12. Bullies, threatens, or intimidates others | |||||
| 13. Has deliberately destroyed others’ property (other than by fire setting) | |||||
| 14. Has been physically cruel to animals | |||||
| 15. Has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun) | |||||
| How much of a problem do any of the above behaviors cause your child at… | No Problems | Mild Problems | Moderate Problems | Severe Problems | Very Severe Problems |
| 16. Home? | |||||
| 17. School? | |||||
| 18. Other (e.g., team sports, playgrounds, etc.)? | |||||
| 19. How old was this child when he/she started behaving this way? |
AGE IN YEARS |
||||
Waschbusch, D. A., & Elgar, F. J. (2007). Development and validation of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale. Assessment, 14(1), 65-74.