Article

Received 16.07.2024

Revised 22.10.2024

Accepted 25.11.2024

Retrieved from Vol. 14, No. 2, 2024

Pages 9 -21

Aqeel, M., Rehna, T., Akhtar, R., & Abbas, J. (2024). Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Externalising Behaviour Disorders Inventory in Pakistani truant students. Psychology and Personality, 14(2), 9-21. https://doi.org/10.33989/2226-4078.2024.2.09

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Externalising Behaviour Disorders Inventory in Pakistani truant students

Muhammad Aqeel Tasnim Rehna Rabia Akhtar Jaffar Abbas

The health of students is intricately connected to their academic performance, yet school truancy, a significant global public health issue, often remains overlooked in healthcare evaluations and health promotion efforts. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the for Pakistani truant students. The externalising behaviour disorders inventory was designed to assess five distinct externalising behaviour disorders, including: (1) oppositional defiant disorder, (2) conduct disorder, (3) antisocial personality disorder, (4) individual deviance, and (5) group deviance. A total of 960 school students (truant, n = 361; punctual, n = 599) were enrolled from different government schools, internet cafes, and community parks in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Exploratory Factor Analy sis was used to explore the underlying covert structure of the externalising behaviour disorders inventory scales for the true student sample. The findings of the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis revealed that the scales for oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, individual deviation, and group deviation demonstrated robust diagnostic efficacy. Moreover, the externalising behaviour disorders inventory exhibited acceptable levels of Multidimensional Externalising Behaviour Disorders Inventory reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity for the truant sample. The findings of this study highlight that the indigenously developed externalising behaviour disorders inventory scales are reliable and valid self-report diagnostic instruments for examining externalising behaviour disorders in school students

school refusal behaviour; conduct disorder; oppositional defiant disorder; group deviance; individual deviance; antisocial personality disorder
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https://doi.org/10.33989/2226-4078.2024.2.09