AbstractBackgroundThe Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6–18 (CBCL/6‐18) is widely used to assess emotional and behavioral problems in children in the USA and Europe. Given that Indonesia has a more traditional culture that is different from the USA and Europe, it is possible that the CBCL is not effective in assessing the emotional and behavioral problems of Indonesian children, due to a difference in culture. Moreover, the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the CBCL/6‐18 have not been tested. The purpose of this study was therefore to test the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the CBCL/6‐18.MethodsThree hundred and eight mothers of children attending public primary schools participated in this study by completing the self‐administered questionnaire.ResultsAll items of the CBCL were positively correlated with total score (0.15–0.59), and total problems score had high internal consistency (r = 0.94). The correlations between questionnaire items and the eight subscales of the CBCL ranged from 0.10 to 0.74 and from 0.12 to 0.64 for the internalizing and externalizing scales, respectively (P < 0.01). The eight subscales of the CBCL had good internal consistency (0.61–0.87).ConclusionsThe CBCL/6‐18 is a valid and reliable instrument to measure emotional and behavioral problems in Indonesian children aged 6–12 years.