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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

Psychometric evaluation of a DSM-5-based semi-structured parent interview for externalizing disorders in preschool children

  • Lea Teresa Kohl1
  • Felix Oswald2
  • Ann-Kathrin Thöne3
  • Jana Rausch4
  • Anja Görtz-Dorten5
  • Christina Dose6
  • Christopher Hautmann7
  • Anne-Katrin Treier8
  • Elena von Wirth9
  • Johanna Ketter10
  • Daria Kasperzack11
  • Tobias Banaschewski12
13 more authors
  • Daniel Brandeis13
  • Anna Kaiser14
  • Thomas Jans15
  • Julia Geissler16
  • Tanja Legenbauer17
  • Tobias Renner18
  • Luise Poustka19
  • Kerstin Konrad20
  • Michael Kölch21
  • Stefanie Bienioschek22
  • ESCAlife-consortium23
  • Katja Becker
  • Manfred Döpfner
23 affiliations
  1. 1Center for Child and Adolescent Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CEKIP), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
  2. 2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
  3. 3Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychotherapy, Trier University, Trier, Germany
  4. 4Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University of Marburg & University Hospital Marburg (UKGM), Marburg, Germany
  5. 5Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty, Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
  6. 6German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Mannheim, Germany
  7. 7Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  8. 8Neuroscience Center Zurich, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  9. 9Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Centre of Mental Health, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
  10. 10LWL University Hospital Hamm for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Ruhr University Bochum, Hamm, Germany
  11. 11Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
  12. 12LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
  13. 13German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
  14. 14Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
  15. 15Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
  16. 16Section Child Neuropsychology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
  17. 17JARA-BRAIN Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH and RWTH Aachen University, Jülich, Germany
  18. 18Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Brandenburg Medical School, University Medical Center Ruppin-Brandenburg, Neuruppin, Germany
  19. 19Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
  20. 20Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane (MHB), Neuruppin, Germany
  21. 21Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Ruppin-Brandenburg, Neuruppin, Germany
  22. 22Faculty of Health Sciences, Joint Faculty of the University of Potsdam, the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Brandenburg Medical School, Potsdam, Germany
  23. 23Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Marburg, Germany
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Abstract

Objective: Reliable and valid diagnostic interviews for preschool-age children are needed to identify children with externalizing behavior problems requiring treatment and thus prevent adverse outcomes. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the semi-structured Clinical Parent Interview for Externalizing Disorders (ILF-EXTERNAL). Methods: Data were collected from 211 children (3;0−6;11 years, 62% boys) who were screened for participation in a multicenter study on evidence-based stepped care treatments for preschool children with externalizing symptoms (ESCApreschool). The factor structure, interrater reliability, internal consistency, convergent validity, and divergent validity of the ILF-EXTERNAL were examined from a multi-rater perspective (clinicians, parents, preschool teachers). Results: A first-order factor model with four correlated factors showed acceptable model fit and allowed for straightforward interpretability. Interrater reliability estimates were fair or moderate to good [intraclass correlation coefficients(1,1) = .52−.74]. Categorical diagnostic agreement was moderate (κ = .44−.52). The ILF-EXTERNAL scales exhibited acceptable to good internal consistencies (α ≥ .69, ω ≥ .72), except for the ADHD Functional Impairment scale (α = .65, ω = .68). Correlations between the ILF-EXTERNAL scale scores and the Externalizing Problems scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1½−5) ranged from .38 to .56, whereas correlations with the Internalizing Problems scale ranged from .09 to .37. Except for one subscale, all ILF-EXTERNAL subscales correlated more strongly with the Externalizing Problems scale than with the Internalizing Problems scale, providing support for convergent and divergent validity. Cross-informant correlations between clinician and parent ratings were higher (r = .46−.65) than between clinician and preschool teacher ratings (r = .05−.33). Conclusion: The ILF-EXTERNAL shows sound psychometric properties in clinically referred preschool children with ADHD and/or ODD.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{kohl2026psychometric,
  title = {{Psychometric evaluation of a DSM-5-based semi-structured parent interview for externalizing disorders in preschool children}},
  author = {Lea Teresa Kohl and Felix Oswald and Ann-Kathrin Thöne and Jana Rausch and Anja Görtz-Dorten and Christina Dose and Christopher Hautmann and Anne-Katrin Treier and Elena von Wirth and Johanna Ketter and Daria Kasperzack and Tobias Banaschewski and Daniel Brandeis and Anna Kaiser and Thomas Jans and Julia Geissler and Tanja Legenbauer and Tobias Renner and Luise Poustka and Kerstin Konrad and Michael Kölch and Stefanie Bienioschek and ESCAlife-consortium and Katja Becker and Manfred Döpfner},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0357785},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357785},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Psychometric evaluation of a DSM-5-based semi-structured parent interview for externalizing disorders in preschool children
AU  - Lea Teresa Kohl
AU  - Felix Oswald
AU  - Ann-Kathrin Thöne
AU  - Jana Rausch
AU  - Anja Görtz-Dorten
AU  - Christina Dose
AU  - Christopher Hautmann
AU  - Anne-Katrin Treier
AU  - Elena von Wirth
AU  - Johanna Ketter
AU  - Daria Kasperzack
AU  - Tobias Banaschewski
AU  - Daniel Brandeis
AU  - Anna Kaiser
AU  - Thomas Jans
AU  - Julia Geissler
AU  - Tanja Legenbauer
AU  - Tobias Renner
AU  - Luise Poustka
AU  - Kerstin Konrad
AU  - Michael Kölch
AU  - Stefanie Bienioschek
AU  - ESCAlife-consortium
AU  - Katja Becker
AU  - Manfred Döpfner
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0357785
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357785
AB  - Objective: Reliable and valid diagnostic interviews for preschool-age children are needed to identify children with externalizing behavior problems requiring treatment and thus prevent adverse outcomes. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the semi-structured Clinical Parent Interview for Externalizing Disorders (ILF-EXTERNAL). Methods: Data were collected from 211 children (3;0−6;11 years, 62% boys) who were screened for participation in a multicenter study on evidence-based stepped care treatments for preschool children with externalizing symptoms (ESCApreschool). The factor structure, interrater reliability, internal consistency, convergent validity, and divergent validity of the ILF-EXTERNAL were examined from a multi-rater perspective (clinicians, parents, preschool teachers). Results: A first-order factor model with four correlated factors showed acceptable model fit and allowed for straightforward interpretability. Interrater reliability estimates were fair or moderate to good [intraclass correlation coefficients(1,1) = .52−.74]. Categorical diagnostic agreement was moderate (κ = .44−.52). The ILF-EXTERNAL scales exhibited acceptable to good internal consistencies (α ≥ .69, ω ≥ .72), except for the ADHD Functional Impairment scale (α = .65, ω = .68). Correlations between the ILF-EXTERNAL scale scores and the Externalizing Problems scale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/1½−5) ranged from .38 to .56, whereas correlations with the Internalizing Problems scale ranged from .09 to .37. Except for one subscale, all ILF-EXTERNAL subscales correlated more strongly with the Externalizing Problems scale than with the Internalizing Problems scale, providing support for convergent and divergent validity. Cross-informant correlations between clinician and parent ratings were higher (r = .46−.65) than between clinician and preschool teacher ratings (r = .05−.33). Conclusion: The ILF-EXTERNAL shows sound psychometric properties in clinically referred preschool children with ADHD and/or ODD.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -