Cross-cultural adaptation of the Italian version of the "Child and Youth Mental Health Instrument for Developmental Disabilities" (I-ChYMH-DD)

Background The Child and Youth Mental Health and Developmental Disability ChYMH-DD is a psychometrically rigorous tool for care planning for children with developmental disabilities. It allows paediatricians and other healthcare professionals to perform a comprehensive assessment of children functional status and family burden. Aim The aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and preliminarily assess the Italian version of the ChYMH-DD for use in clinical settings involving pediatric patients with developmental disabilities. Methods The original version of the ChYMH-DD was translated and cross-culturally adapted through five stages: (1) initial translation, (2) synthesis of the translations, (3) back translation, (4) expert committee, and (5) test of the pre-final version. Results In the present study we successfully translated and adapted the ChYMH-DD into the Italian language. Translation of the questionnaire was performed without significant difficulties. During the third stage, no gross inconsistencies and conceptual errors as compared to the original version were highlighted. Conclusion The Italian version of ChYMH-DD increase access to a valid and homogeneous assessment for children of Italian-speaking families and can support clinical decision-making. The Italian ChYMH-DD has potential to improve patients’ quality of life and quality of the care received for children with developmental disabilities.