BACKGROUND Early detection of common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, among children and adolescents requires the use of validated, culturally sensitive, and developmentally appropriate screening instruments. The Arab region has a high proportion of youth, yet Arabic-language screening instruments for mental disorders among this age group are virtually absent. METHODS We carried out construct and clinical validation on the recently-developed Arab Youth Mental Health (AYMH) scale as a screening tool for depression/anxiety. The scale was administered with 10-14 year old children attending a social service center in Beirut, Lebanon (N = 153). The clinical assessment was conducted by a child and adolescent clinical psychiatrist employing the DSM IV criteria. We tested the scale's sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency. RESULTS Scale scores were generally significantly associated with how participants responded to standard questions on health, mental health, and happiness, indicating good construct validity. The results revealed that the scale exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) and specificity (79%). However, it exhibited moderate sensitivity for girls (71%) and poor sensitivity for boys (50%). CONCLUSIONS The AYMH scale is useful as a screening tool for general mental health states and a valid screening instrument for common mental disorders among girls. It is not a valid instrument for detecting depression and anxiety among boys in an Arab culture.

中文翻译：

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阿拉伯青年心理健康量表作为黎巴嫩儿童抑郁/焦虑筛查工具的验证。

背景 早期发现儿童和青少年中常见的精神障碍，例如抑郁和焦虑，需要使用经过验证的、文化敏感的和发育适当的筛查工具。阿拉伯地区的青年比例很高，但该年龄段的精神障碍阿拉伯语筛查工具几乎不存在。方法 我们对最近开发的阿拉伯青年心理健康 (AYMH) 量表作为抑郁/焦虑的筛查工具进行了构建和临床验证。该量表是针对在黎巴嫩贝鲁特 (N = 153) 的社会服务中心就读的 10-14 岁儿童进行的。临床评估由儿童和青少年临床精神病学家采用 DSM IV 标准进行。我们测试了该量表的敏感性、特异性和内部一致性。结果 量表分数通常与参与者如何回答有关健康、心理健康和幸福的标准问题显着相关，表明其具有良好的结构效度。结果表明，该量表表现出良好的内部一致性（Cronbach's alpha = 0.86）和特异性（79%）。然而，它对女孩表现出中等敏感性（71%），对男孩表现出较差的敏感性（50%）。结论 AYMH 量表可用作一般心理健康状况的筛查工具和女孩常见精神障碍的有效筛查工具。它不是检测阿拉伯文化中男孩抑郁和焦虑的有效工具。表明结构效度良好。结果表明，该量表表现出良好的内部一致性（Cronbach's alpha = 0.86）和特异性（79%）。然而，它对女孩表现出中等敏感性（71%），对男孩表现出较差的敏感性（50%）。结论 AYMH 量表可用作一般心理健康状况的筛查工具和女孩常见精神障碍的有效筛查工具。它不是检测阿拉伯文化中男孩抑郁和焦虑的有效工具。表明结构效度良好。结果表明，该量表表现出良好的内部一致性（Cronbach's alpha = 0.86）和特异性（79%）。然而，它对女孩表现出中等敏感性（71%），对男孩表现出较差的敏感性（50%）。结论 AYMH 量表可用作一般心理健康状况的筛查工具和女孩常见精神障碍的有效筛查工具。它不是检测阿拉伯文化中男孩抑郁和焦虑的有效工具。结论 AYMH 量表可用作一般心理健康状况的筛查工具和女孩常见精神障碍的有效筛查工具。它不是检测阿拉伯文化中男孩抑郁和焦虑的有效工具。结论 AYMH 量表可用作一般心理健康状况的筛查工具和女孩常见精神障碍的有效筛查工具。它不是检测阿拉伯文化中男孩抑郁和焦虑的有效工具。