Reliability, validity, and preliminary normative data for the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version.

OBJECTIVE

To provide preliminary psychometric data on the Children's Aggression Scale-Teacher Version (CAS-T), which was designed to assess severity and frequency of aggressive, as distinct from nonaggressive, disruptive behaviors.

METHOD: The CAS-T has 23 items representing five domains: Verbal aggression, Aggression against objects and animals, Provoked physical aggression, Unprovoked physical aggression, and Use of weapons. The CAS-T was completed for 273 nonreferred boys and 67 clinically referred children (60 boys; 7 girls). Coefficient alpha was assessed separately in clinical and nonreferred groups. Validity was evaluated by comparing CAS-T scores of children with different disruptive behavior disorder diagnoses and by examining the relationship of CAS-T scores to other parent and teacher ratings.

RESULTS

The scale as a whole had excellent reliability as measured by coefficient alpha. Children with conduct disorder were rated significantly higher than those with oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and no disruptive behavior disorder diagnosis. Further, patterns of correlations with other rating scales provide strong support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the CAS-T.

CONCLUSIONS

The CAS-T may fill a gap in that it distinguishes among various types and severity of aggression, as distinct from oppositional-defiant behaviors.