Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Psychometric Properties of the Dominic Interactive in a Sample of French Canadian Sexually Abused Children

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are few computerized questionnaires assessing mental health in children. Although the psychometric properties of the Dominic Interactive have been verified for clinical and nonclinical populations, no study has specifically targeted sexually abused children. This study aimed to explore the reliability and validity of the Dominic Interactive with a sample of sexually abused children. The sample consisted of 687 children aged from 6 to 11 recruited in specialized intervention centers in Quebec. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to assess the factorial structure of the questionnaire and assessed the internal consistency of the subscales with Cronbach alphas and McDonalds omegas. Subscales of the Dominic Interactive showed good fit with the factorial structure and met the prescribed criteria, except for Specific Phobias and Separation Anxiety subscales that showed high interitem correlations. After accounting for intercorrelation errors, all model fit indices showed good adjustment to the factorial structure and met the fit indices criteria. The different subscales of the DI were found to be significantly correlated (r ranging from .13 to .30) with their equivalent parent-reported assessments. The results extend previous findings and suggest that the Dominic Interactive is a valid tool to quickly diagnose various behavioural problems in sexually abused children.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (2011). Commentary: Definitely more than measurement error: But how should we understand and deal with informant discrepancies? Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40, 80–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.533416.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Achenbach, T. M., McConaughy, S. H., & Howell, C. T. (1987). Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity. Psychological Bulletin, 101(2), 213–232. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.101.2.213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Achenbach, T. M. & Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms and profiles (child behaviour checklist for ages 6–18). ASBEA.

  • Azzopardi, C., Eirich, R., Rash, C. L., MacDonald, S., & Madigan, S. (2019). A meta-analysis of the prevalence of child sexual abuse disclosure in forensic settings. Child Abuse & Neglect, 93, 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.020.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergeron, L., Berthiaume, C., St-Georges, M., & Piché, G. (2013). Reliability, validity, and clinical use of the Dominic interactive: A DSM-based, self-report screen for school-aged children. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 58, 466–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371305800805.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bidaut-Russell, M., Valla, J. P., Thomas, J. M., Bergeron, L., & Lawson, E. (1998). Reliability of the Terry: A mental health cartoon-like screener for African-American children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 28(4), 249–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. A. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research (2nd ed). Guilford Press.

  • Chi, T. C., & Hinshaw, S. P. (2002). Mother–child relationships of children with ADHD: The role of maternal depressive symptoms and depression-related distortions. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30(4), 387–400. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015770025043.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, E., & Kim, S. (2015). Cronbach’s coefficient alpha: Well-known but poorly understood. Organizational Research Methods, 18, 207–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114555994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daignault, I., Cyr, M. & Hébert, M. (2017). Working with non-offending parents in cases of child sexual abuse. What works in child protection: An evidenced-based approach to assessment and intervention in care proceedings (pp. 415-432). Wiley Blackwell.

  • Daignault, I. V., Hébert, M., Cyr, M., Pelletier, M. & McDuff, P. (2018). Correlates and predictors of mothers’ adaptation and trauma symptoms following the unveiling of the sexual abuse of their child. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 00(0),1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518808849.

  • De La Osa, N., Ezpeleta, L., Granero, R., & Olaya, B. (2011). Diagnostic value of the Dominic interactive assessment with children exposed to intimate partner violence. Psicothema, 23(4), 648–653.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Los Reyes, A. (2011). Introduction to the special section: More than measurement error: Discovering meaning behind informant discrepancies in clinical assessments of children and adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.533405.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Los Reyes, A., Augenstein, T. M., Wang, M., Thomas, S. A., Drabick, D. A. G., Burgers, D. E., & Rabinowitz, J. (2015). The validity of the multi-informant approach to assessing child and adolescent mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 141(4), 858–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gadermann, A. M., Guhn, M., & Zumbo, B. D. (2012). Estimating ordinal reliability for Likert-type and ordinal item response data: A conceptual, empirical, and practical guide. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 17, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garneau, M., Laventure, M., & Temcheff, C. E. (2020). Internal structure and measurement invariance of the Dominic interactive among indigenous children in Quebec. Psychological Assessment, 32(2), 170–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000775.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geldhof, G. J., Preacher, K. J., & Zyphur, M. J. (2014). Reliability estimation in a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis framework. Psychological Methods, 19, 72–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032138.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hébert, M., Tourigny, M., Cyr, M., McDuff, P., & Joly, J. (2009). Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and timing of disclosure in a representative sample of adults from Quebec. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(9), 631–636. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674370905400908.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, T., Cohen, J., Mannarino, A., & Jensen, T. L. (2014). Parental emotional response to children’s traumas. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 23, 1057–1071. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.953717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearney, C. A., Freeman, A. & Bacon, V. (2019). Structured and semistructured interviews for children. Handbook of Psychological Assessment, 337–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802203-0.00011-0.

  • Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed). Guilford Press.

  • Kovacs, M. (1985). The Children's depression, inventory (CDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21(4), 995–998.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1992). Children's depression inventory. Multi-Health Systems, Inc.

  • Kruyen, P. M., Emons, W. H. M., & Sijtsma, K. (2013). On the shortcomings of shortened tests: A literature review. International Journal of Testing, 13, 223–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/15305058.2012.703734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuijpers, R. C. W. M., Otten, R., Krol, N. P. C. M., Vermulst, A. A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2013). The reliability and validity of the Dominic interactive: A computerized child report instrument for mental health problems. Child & Youth Care Forum, 42, 35–52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-012-9185-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuijpers, R. C. W. M., Otten, R., Vermulst, A. A., & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2014). Reliability and construct validity of a child self-report instrument: The Dominic interactive. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 30, 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuijpers, R. C. W. M., Otten, R., Vermulst, A. A., Pez, O., Bitfoi, A., Carta, M., Goeliltz, D., Keyes, K., Koç, C., Lesinskiene, S., Mihova, Z., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Kovess, V. (2015). Reliability, factor structure, and measurement invariance of the Dominic interactive across European countries: Cross-country utility of a child mental health self-report. Psychological Assessment, 28, 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000139.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Linares-Scott, T. J. L., Short, E. J., Singer, L. T., & Russ, S. W. (2006). Psychometric properties of the Dominic interactive assessment: A computerized self-report for children. Assessment, 13(1), 16–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191105284843.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Muthen, L. K. & Muthen, B. O. (1998). Mplus [logiciel]. Muthén & Muthén.

  • Myers, K., & Winters, N. C. (2002). Ten-year review of rating scales. I: Overview of scale functioning, psychometric properties, and selection. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 41, 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200202000-00004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pereira, A. I., Muris, P., Barros, L., Goes, L., Marques, T., & Russo, V. (2015). Agreement and discrepancy between mother and child in the evaluation of children’s anxiety symptoms and anxiety life interference. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24(3), 327–337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-014-0583-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team. (2014). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. [Computer software]. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org.

  • Rebok, G., Riley, A., Forrest, C., Starfield, B., Green, B., Robertson, J., & Tambor, E. (2001). Elementary school-aged children's reports of their health: A cognitive interviewing study. Quality of Life Research, 1(10), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1016693417166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1978). What I think and feel: A revised measure of children's manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 6(2), 271–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00919131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richters, J. E. (1992). Depressed mothers as informants about their children: A critical review of the evidence for distortion. Psychological Bulletin, 112(3), 485–499. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.3.485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saint-Laurent, L. (1990). Étude psychométrique de l'Inventaire de dépression pour enfants de Kovacs auprès d'un échantillon francophone. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 22(4), 377–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0078990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shojaei, T., Wazana, A., Pitrou, I., Gilbert, F., Bergeron, L., Valla, J. P., & Kovess-Masfety, V. (2009). Psychometric properties of the Dominic interactive in a large French sample. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(11), 767–776. https://doi-org.proxy.bibliotheques.uqam.ca/10.1177/070674370905401107.

  • Stoltenborgh, M., Van Ijzendoorn, M. H., Euser, E. M., & Bakerrmans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2011). A global perspective on child sexual abuse: Meta-analysis of prevalence around the world. Child Maltreatment, 16(2), 79–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559511403920.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tremblay-Perreault, A., & Hébert, M. (2019). Uncovering the associations between child sexual abuse, peer victimization and behaviour problems using child, parent and teacher reports. Journal of School Violence, 19, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2019.1697276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turgeon, L., & Chartrand, É. (2003). Reliability and validity of the revised children's manifest anxiety scale in a French-Canadian sample. Psychological Assessment, 15(3), 378–383. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.15.3.378.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valla, J.-P. (2008). Dominic interactive (version 3.3.5) [measurement instrument software]. Digital interactive multimedia assessment tools. http://www.dominic-interactive.com/

  • Valla, J. P., Bergeron, L., Bérubé, H., Gaudet, N., & St-Georges, M. (1994). A structured pictorial questionnaire to assess DSM-III-R-based diagnoses in children (6–11 years): Development, validity, and reliability. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22(4), 403–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valla, J. P., Bergeron, L., & Smolla, N. (2000). The Dominic-R: A pictorial interview for 6-to 11-year-old children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(1), 85–93. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-200001000-00020.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Valla, J. P., Kovess, V., Chee, C. C., Berthiaume, C., Vantalon, V., Piquet, C., Gras-Vincendon, A., Martin, C., & Alles-Jardel, M. (2002). A French study of the Dominic interactive. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37(9), 441–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-002-0575-2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Youngstrom, E., Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (2000). Patterns and correlates of agreement between parent, teacher, and male adolescent ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68(3), 1038–1050. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-006X.68.6.1038.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zinbarg, R. E., Revelle, W., Yovel, I., & Li, W. (2005). Cronbach’s α, Revelle’s β, and McDonald’s ωH: Their relationship with each other and two alternative conceptualizations of reliability. Psychometrika, 70, 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11336-003-0974-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zumbo, B. D., Gadermann, A. M., & Zeisser, C. (2007). Ordinal versions of coefficients alpha and theta for Likert rating scales. Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 6, 21–29. https://doi.org/10.22237/jmasm/1177992180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all the families who participated in the study. Our thanks are also extended to practitioners for the different intervention settings that participated and to Manon Robichaud for management of the databank.

Funding

This research was funded by a grant (#77614 and #110945) from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Interuniversity Marie-Vincent Research Chair awarded to the first author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de sexologie, Canada Research Chair in Interpersonal Traumas and Resilience, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada

    Martine Hébert

  2. Département de psychologie, UQAM, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    Arianne Jean-Thorn & Laetitia Mélissande Amédée

Authors
  1. Martine Hébert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arianne Jean-Thorn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Laetitia Mélissande Amédée
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martine Hébert.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hébert, M., Jean-Thorn, A. & Amédée, L.M. Psychometric Properties of the Dominic Interactive in a Sample of French Canadian Sexually Abused Children. Journ Child Adol Trauma 14, 223–231 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00341-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00341-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation