CBCL somatic scale shows measurement invariance in adolescent ABCD sample

The Child Behavior Checklist’s DSM-oriented Somatic Problems scale, a seven-item measure of somatic concerns in adolescents, showed a consistent one-factor structure and acceptable reliability in an analysis of 9,987 adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. The research also found evidence of measurement invariance across sex and informant, evidence approaching scalar invariance for ethnicity, and longitudinal metric and scalar invariance in mother-reported scores collected over six years. Researchers used Wave 1 ABCD data to assess the scale’s factor structure, reliability and measurement invariance across sex, informant and ethnicity.

The analyses supported the theorized single-factor model and acceptable reliability. For sex and informant comparisons, the results supported approximate measurement invariance up to the scalar level. A separate longitudinal analysis examined mother-reported SOM scores from 1,799 adolescents at three assessment points spanning a six-year developmental window.

Metric invariance was supported across the assessment waves, while scalar invariance provided a sufficient basis for interpreting longitudinal SOM scores as reflecting genuine developmental change in somatic symptom burden. The authors concluded that the SOM is psychometrically sound and suitable for group comparisons, longitudinal research and population-level monitoring of somatic symptoms during adolescence. The scope of the evidence is important: the study evaluated one seven-item questionnaire scale using ABCD adolescent data, and the longitudinal result specifically concerned mother-reported scores.

The findings do not show that every adolescent experienced a change in somatic symptoms, identify the causes of reported concerns, or establish that the scale can determine a clinical diagnosis. They address whether the instrument’s scores remain comparable under specified group, informant and time-related analyses. Overall, the results strengthen the case for using the CBCL SOM scale in research that compares adolescents by sex or informant and follows somatic symptom burden across development.

Subject of Research: Psychometric measurement invariance of the CBCL DSM-oriented Somatic Problems scale in adolescents

Article Title: The CBCL DSM-oriented somatic problems scale: measurement invariance across sex, informant, ethnicity, and time

Article References: Gomez, R., Hein, K., Conkey-Morrison, C., Stavropoulos, V., & Zarate, D. (2026). The CBCL DSM-oriented somatic problems scale: measurement invariance across sex, informant, ethnicity, and time. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05842-2

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05842-2

Keywords: CBCL, somatic symptoms, measurement invariance, adolescent health, psychometrics, ABCD study, longitudinal research, questionnaire validation, scale reliability, ethnicity comparisons, DSM-oriented, somatic