A Review of the Beck Youth Inventories for Children and Adolescents

The Beck Youth Inventory Test was developed in 2001 by Judith Beck, Aaron Beck, John Jolly, and Robert Steer. The purpose of this psychological testing tool is a brief self-report to measure the distress in children and adolescents (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). The Beck Youth Inventory includes using five self-administered scales. The five tests include the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Anger Inventory, Beck Disruptive Inventory, and the Beck Self-Concept Inventory. These tests can be administered individually or in combination to the youth. The intended population for this test is ages 7-14 years (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). This test is used to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety, anger, disruptive behavior, and self esteem (Beck, 2001).

The Beck Depression Inventory measures depression criteria as evidenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). The Beck Anxiety Inventory assesses childhood fears related to health and school (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). The Beck Anger Inventory appraises the individual’s opinion of mistreatment, negative thoughts, and physiological arousal (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). The Beck Disruptive Behavior Inventory measures behaviors and attitudes related to oppositional and defiant behavior (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). This is consistently seen in youth diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Lastly, the Beck Self-Concept Inventory assesses feelings of self-worth and competence (Flanagan & Henington, 2005).

The theory of the Beck Youth Inventory Test was derived from the adult Beck Scales (Beck, 2001). The authors of this testing instrument saw a need for this...

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...ne only individually in order to encourage honest responses and not have any peer influences (Flanagan & Henington, 2005). Overall, the Beck Youth Inventory is a useful tool, but should be used in conjunction with other assessment instruments.

References

Beck, J. (2001, November). New Scales for Children: The Beck Youth Inventory. The Beck

Institute, 1-5. Copyright 1999-2007. www.beckinstitute.org

Beck, J. (2001). Beck Youth Inventories for Children and Adolescents (2nd ed.). PsychCorp:

Harcourt Assessment, Inc.

Flanagan, R., & Henington, C. (2005). Review of the Beck Youth Inventories for Children and

Adolescents: Second Edition. Mental Measurements Yearbook, 18, 18123501

Trochim, W. (2006). Reliability and Validity: What’s the Difference?. Retrieved February 8,

2010, from http://socialresearch methods.net/tutorial/Colosi/lcolosi2.htm