The Brief Problem Monitor (BPM-Y/BPM-P) Among Chinese Youth: Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance

The Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) is a 19-item instrument newly developed for screening children and adolescents for emotional and behavioral problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the youth-report and parent-report versions of the BPM (BPM-Y and BPM-P) among Chinese youth. Data was collected from two samples: a middle school student sample (n = 1,246, girls = 516 [41.4%]) and a community youth sample from families suffering adversity (n = 383, girls = 143 [37.3%]). We conducted a series of confirmatory factor analyses to test and compare the latent structures of the BPM-Y and BPM-P. Results suggested that the three-factor model of the BPM-Y and BPM-P fit the data best. And based on the omnibus fit indices and difference between them, the items of the BPM-Y and BPM-P support measurement invariance across informants (both youth- and parent-report) for the three-factor model. Internal consistency coefficients were satisfactory (Cronbach's α = .73 ~ .90). In terms of convergent validity, BPM factors and BPM scores showed expected correlations with strength and difficulties behavior, callous–unemotional traits, psychopathic traits, and social competence. In sum, our findings supported that the three-factor structuure of BPM-Y and BPM-P could be a promising instrument to screen emotional and behavioral problems in Chinese youth.