The Youth Self Report: Applicability and Validity Across Younger and Older Youths

Abstract

The Youth Self Report (YSR) is a widely used measure of youth emotional and behavioral problems. Although the YSR was designed for youths ages 11 to 18, no studies have systematically evaluated whether youths younger than age 11 can make valid reports on this measure. This study thus examined the reliability and validity of the YSR scales scores for younger (ages 7–10; n = 184) and older (ages 11–14; n = 147) youths. Results demonstrated that younger youths were able to provide reliable reports on the YSR broad band (Internalizing, Externalizing) scales, though less so on the narrow band scales. Across all scales, the externalizing scales performed more favorably than the internalizing scales among both younger and older youth. Younger youths’ DSM-oriented scales corresponded significantly with DSM diagnoses.