Abstract
Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess validity of a Polish version of the MINI-Kid questionnaire (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Kids).
Methods. Examined were 34 adolescents (12 boys and 22 girls aged 11 to 17 years), patients of a Day Psychiatric Centre for Children and Adolescents or of an Outpatient Mental Health Clinic in Wrocław. Diagnoses obtained by means of the MINI-Kid questionnaire were compared with those proposed by the doctors responsible for a given patient. Diagnoses made by psychiatrists were considered as the reference point. In the analysis the 6 coefficient of concordance was used.
Results. Both for anxiety disorders jointly and for maladjustment the same 6 coefficient of 0.65 was obtained, while for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) it was 0.71, and for behaviour disorders 0.38.
Conclusions. The Polish adaptation of the MINI-Kid questionnaire turned out to have a moderate, and as regards behaviour disorders - rather low validity However, validity of other diagnostic instruments used in psychiatry is similar. The MINI-Kid is a tool useful especially in screening or epidemiological research. The examiner should seek information also from other sources, including interview with the child's caregivers, with an emphasis on behavioural abnormalities. Moreover, an organic underpinning of the disorder should be excluded, since it may be an important etiopathogenic factor in children.