Validation of the PTSD screening cartoon test "Darryl" in a Danish clinical sample of children and adolescents.

The current study examined the reliability and validity of a Danish adaptation of "Darryl", a cartoon-based measure of DSM-IV symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of Danish children and adolescents. Exposure to potentially traumatizing events, PTSD symptoms and diagnostic status were assessed in 65 children between the ages of 7 and 17 years old. Participants were recruited from a crisis centre for battered women and a school for children with emotional and behavioural problems. The study revealed that Darryl has good internal consistency for the overall scale and adequate reliability for each DSM-IV symptom cluster. Scores from Darryl were significantly correlated with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA) scores and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that it could significantly predict the presence of a PTSD diagnosis according to the CAPS-CA. In comparison to the CAPS-CA, Darryl has comparable psychometric properties and assesses PTSD symptoms in a developmentally appropriate manner. Furthermore, Darryl is quick to administer and was easier for the children in this sample to comprehend than the more traditional measure of PTSD. Overall, Darryl is an effective instrument for screening children at risk of a PTSD diagnosis. The relatively high specificity suggests that screening positive for PTSD using Darryl merits further diagnostic assessment.