Evaluation of the Amharic version of the diagnostic Interview of Children and Adolescents (DICA-R) in Addis Ababa

Abstract

The acceptability, reliability, and feasibility of Amharic version of the revised Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescent (DICA-R) was evaluated in Addis Ababa by clinicians, lay interviewers and respondents from different settings. A total of 265 respondents 6-18 years of age from the community, Amanuel Psychiatric Hospital (inpatient and outpatient) and schools for mentally disabled children were interviewed between 25 June and 28 July, 1997. Of the 255 respondents who completed the interview by clinicians and lay interviewers 189 respondents had one or more diagnoses, while 66 had no diagnoses. The clinicians, most of the lay interviewers, and respondents judged the DICA-R as being acceptable and feasible for use in different settings. Some concern expressed about the interview was on its length and difficulties with few of the items. The most frequent lifetime and six months diagnoses by all interviewers were phobia, separation anxiety, overanxiousness, major depressive episode, conduct disorders and enuresis. For any specific diagnoses made with the frequency of five or more times, percentage agreements were above 89% and the kappa values ranged from 0.74 to 1.00. The lowest kappa value was for dysthymic disorder, while the highest kappa value was for manic disorder. It is concluded that the Amharic version of DICA-R is reliable, acceptable, and feasible for use.


(Ethiopian Journal of Health Development: 2000, 14(1): 13-22)