Differences in Strength Assessment Scores for Youth With and Without ED Across the Youth and Parent Rating Scales of the BERS-2

Abstract

The authors' studies evaluated the discriminative ability of the youth and parent forms of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale—Second Edition (BERS-2; Epstein, 2004). The BERS-2 is a standardized rating scale system that assesses the emotional and behavioral strengths of children and youth. Separate studies compared the perceptions of youth and parents of youth with emotional disturbance (ED) to youth and parents of youth without ED. Participants in Study 1 included 71 children verified with ED according to state special education guidelines and 386 children without ED. Participants in Study 2 included 82 parents of children with ED and 411 parents of children without ED. Results of Study 1 indicated statistically significant differences in the scores of youth with and without ED on four of five BERS-2 Youth Rating Scale subscales and the overall strength index. Results of Study 2 indicated statistically significant differences in the scores of parents of youth with and without ED on all five of BERS-2 Parent Rating Scale subscales and the strength index.The limitations, future research, and implications of the studies are discussed.

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