Child behavior checklist
externalizing behavior, psychiatric, internalizing behavior, PTSD-specific
SYNDROME, DISORDERS
The Dutch parent-report version of the Child Behavior Checklist 6–18 years (CBCL) assesses a wide range of children's emotional and behavioral problems, aiming to identify children at a high risk of psychiatric disorders. The CBCL/6–18 comprises 120 items assessing behavioral and emotional problems. These items are answered on a 3-point Likert-type scale (0 = not true, 1 = somewhat or sometimes true, 2 = very true or often true) by parents. The scores display eight problem scales: withdrawn (1), somatic (2), anxious (3), social (4), thought (5), attention (6), rule-breaking (7), aggressive (8), and other problems. The sum of problem scales 1, 2, and 3 forms the scale ‘internalizing behavior’; 7 and 8 form ‘externalizing behavior.’ All subscales comprise the total problem scale. Some items contribute to more than one problem scale. The CBCL assesses a broad array of potential trauma-related symptoms, including those not captured by a PTSD-specific measure. T-scores are computed from raw scores; higher scores on the syndrome scale indicate greater severity of problems. A T-score of 63 (90th percentile) demarcates the clinical range, indicating that the child requires professional assistance. The CBCL/6–18 has well-established psychometric properties in clinical, non-clinical, and cross-cultural populations [