Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- For Teachers (CDRS-T)

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 teachers (CDRS-T).

Psychometrics:

The psychometric properties of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-T) 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 Teachers (CDRS-T) is to allow for measurement of conduct disorder (CD). The CDRS-T 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 twelve symptom used in the scale are taken directly form the DSM-IV definition of CD. Three symptoms which are present in the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale- for parents (CDRS-P) are omitted from the current scale because they do not occur in schools.

Conduct Disorder Rating Scale – Teacher 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.

In the past 12 months, this child… Never Once Monthly Weekly Daily
1. Lies to obtain goods or favors or to avoid obligations (i.e., ‘cons’ others)
2. Initiates physical fights
3. Has been physically cruel to people
4. Has stolen items of value without confronting a victim (e.g., shoplifting; forgery)
5. Skips school
6. Has broken into someone else’s house, building, or car
7. Has deliberately engaged in fire setting with the intention of causing serious damage
8. Has stolen while confronting a victim (e.g., mugging, purse snatching, extortion, armed robbery)
9. Bullies, threatens, or intimidates others
10. Has deliberately destroyed others’ property (other than by fire setting)
11. Has been physically cruel to animals
12. Has used a weapon that can cause serious physical harm to others (e.g., a bat, brick, broken bottle, knife, gun)
13. How much of a problem do any of the above behaviors cause this child in school (circle one)? No Problems Mild Problems Moderate Problems Severe Problems Very Severe Problems

Waschbusch, D. A., & Elgar, F. J. (2007). Development and validation of the Conduct Disorder Rating Scale. Assessment, 14(1), 65-74.

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