A CHECKLIST OF CHALLENGING BEHAVIOUR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SURVEY INSTRUMENT

Abstract

AbstractThe Checklist of Challenging Behaviour (CCB) was developed as a survey instrument in a study of aggressive behaviour amongst people with learning difficulties from a single health district within the UK. The content of the CCB was generated by service providers from a review of the literature and through an analysis of hospital records of violent incidents. The resultant behaviours were separated into two checklists; the first was a list of aggressive behaviours involving harmful, physical contact with others and, the second, a list of other types of challenging behaviour. Five‐point scales were used to rate the behaviour for frequency, management difficulty and severity. The CCB appeared to have an acceptable level of content validity. Reliability checks supported the use of the CCB as a survey instrument for identifying the range and type of aggressive and challenging behaviours. The data did not support the use of the CCB as a reliable measure for change at the individual level. The difficulties of measuring changes in aggressive behaviour are discussed.