ABSTRACT
Expert ratings and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop an alternative system for scoring the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach, 1991) to measure specific dimensions corresponding to current conceptualizations of child symptomatology. Data were from a nonclinic and 2 independent clinic samples. Subscales measuring Anxiety, Attention Problems/Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, Depression, Oppositional Defiant, Social Problems/Immaturity, and Somatization were created. Logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and discrimination of the new and original approaches to scoring the CBCL. Some of the new subscales demonstrated better sensitivity, positive predictive power, and discriminant validity than the original CBCL subscales; however, subscales from both approaches demonstrated low sensitivity. Results support the use of the new subscales for specific research purposes.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Patient Care Team , Personality Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/classification , Affective Symptoms/diagnosis , Affective Symptoms/psychology , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/classification , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/classification , Mental Disorders/psychology , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
This article is a response to T. M. Achenbach and L. Dumenci's (2001) commentary concerning L. J. Lengua, C. A. Sadowski, W. N. Friedrich, and J. Fisher's (2001) article proposing an alternative scoring approach for the Child Behavior Checklist. The authors note that T. M. Achenbach and L. Dumenci do not comment on the stated goals of the alternative scoring approach and focus on a limited set of the results to make their argument. Although the original and proposed scoring approaches operate similarly, important differences suggest that the proposed scoring approach is promising for use in specific instances, including identifying distinct etiologies, developmental course, and co-occurrence of specific syndromes. The importance of combining rational and empirical approaches in articulating conceptual definitions and developing measures of child psychopathology is discussed.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Personality Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Comorbidity , Humans , Mental Disorders/classification , Mental Disorders/psychology , Psychometrics , Psychopathology , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
This study evaluated the efficacy of 2 theory-based preventive interventions for divorced families: a program for mothers and a dual component mother-child program. The mother program targeted mother-child relationship quality, discipline, interparental conflict, and the father-child relationship. The child program targeted active coping, avoidant coping, appraisals of divorce stressors, and mother-child relationship quality. Families with a 9- to 12-year-old child (N = 240) were randomly assigned to the mother, dual-component, or self-study program. Postintervention comparisons showed significant positive program effects of the mother program versus self-study condition on relationship quality, discipline, attitude toward father-child contact, and adjustment problems. For several outcomes, more positive effects occurred in families with poorer initial functioning. Program effects on externalizing problems were maintained at 6-month follow-up. A few additive effects of the dual-component program occurred for the putative mediators; none occurred for adjustment problems.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Divorce , Mother-Child Relations , Psychotherapy/methods , Stress, Psychological/therapy , Adult , Arizona , Child , Father-Child Relations , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Internal-External Control , Male , Social Adjustment , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Investigated the interaction between parenting and temperament in predicting adjustment problems in children of divorce. The study utilized a sample of 231 mothers and children, 9 to 12 years old, who had experienced divorce within the previous 2 years. Both mothers' and children's reports on parenting, temperament, and adjustment variables were obtained and combined to create cross-reporter measures of the variables. Parenting and temperament were directly and independently related to outcomes consistent with an additive model of their effects. Significant interactions indicated that parental rejection was more strongly related to adjustment problems for children low in positive emotionality, and inconsistent discipline was more strongly related to adjustment problems for children high in impulsivity. These findings suggest that children who are high in impulsivity may be at greater risk for developing problems, whereas positive emotionality may operate as a protective factor, decreasing the risk of adjustment problems in response to negative parenting.
Subject(s)
Adjustment Disorders/etiology , Divorce/psychology , Mother-Child Relations , Temperament , Adaptation, Psychological , Adjustment Disorders/psychology , Adult , Child , Emotions , Female , Humans , Male , Parenting , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Examined the hypothesis that distinct parenting practices may be associated with type and profile of a child's disruptive behavior problems (e.g., oppositional, aggressive, hyperactive). Parents of 631 behaviorally disruptive children described the extent to which they experienced warm and involved interactions with their children and the extent to which their discipline strategies were inconsistent and punitive and involved spanking and physical aggression. As expected from a developmental perspective, parenting practices that included punitive interactions were associated with elevated rates of all child disruptive behavior problems. Low levels of warm involvement were particularly characteristic of parents of children who showed elevated levels of oppositional behaviors. Physically aggressive parenting was linked more specifically with child aggression. In general, parenting practices contributed more to the prediction of oppositional and aggressive behavior problems than to hyperactive behavior problems, and parenting influences were fairly consistent across ethnic groups and sex.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Parenting , Age Factors , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child, Preschool , Ethnicity/psychology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Forecasting , Humans , Male , Population Surveillance , Schools , Sex Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
A model of the effects of children's temperament (negative and positive emotionality, impulsivity and attention focusing) on post-divorce threat appraisals, coping (active and avoidant), and psychological symptoms (depression and conduct problems) was investigated. The study utilized a sample of 223 mothers and children (ages 9 to 12 years) who had experienced divorce within the last two years. Evidence was found of direct effects of child-report negative emotionality on children's threat perceptions and of child-report positive emotionality and impulsivity on children's coping. Indirect effects of negative emotionality on active and avoidant coping through threat appraisal were found. Direct effects of the temperament variables on symptoms were also found. Cross group analyses indicated that the models were robust to age differences, but gender differences were found in the relation between negative emotionality and depression. The results of this study indicate that temperament and threat appraisals are important predictors of children's post-divorce symptoms, and that temperament is a predictor of children's appraisal and coping process.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Defense Mechanisms , Depression/psychology , Divorce/psychology , Emotions , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Depression/diagnosis , Female , Gender Identity , Humans , Individuality , Male , Personality Assessment , Personality Development , TemperamentABSTRACT
The contributions of different risk factors in predicting children's psychological and academic outcomes at the end of 1st grade were examined. Using a regression model, levels of ecobehavioral risk were assessed in the following order: specific demographics, broad demographics, family psychosocial status, mother's depressive symptoms, and neighborhood quality. Participants were 337 families from 4 American communities. Predictor variables were assessed in kindergarten, and teacher, parent, and child outcomes (behavioral and academic) were assessed at the end of 1st grade. Results indicated that (a) each level of analysis contributed to prediction of most outcomes, (b) 18%-29% of the variance was predicted in outcomes, (c) a common set of predictors predicted numerous outcomes, (d) ethnicity showed little unique prediction, and (e) the quality of the neighborhood showed small but unique prediction to externalizing problems.
Subject(s)
Child Behavior/psychology , Child Development/physiology , Achievement , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Maternal Behavior/psychology , Prognosis , Psychology, Child , Risk Assessment , Socialization , United StatesABSTRACT
Temperament has been conceptualized as an important predictor of children's psychological adjustment. However, even with reliable and valid measures, there is the additional problem of overlapping item content across measures of temperament and symptoms that threatens the interpretability of such associations. This study assessed this possible confounding using both confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and expert ratings. A number of items from temperament measures of negative and positive emotionality, impulsivity, and attention focusing were shown to overlap with items measuring depressive and conduct problem symptoms. CFAs demonstrated that temperament could be reliably measured after eliminating overlapping items. Negative emotionality and impulsivity showed a positive relation to symptom measures, whereas positive emotionality and attention showed a negative relation to symptom measures. The pattern of associations indicated consistent relations between negative emotionality and depression and between impulsivity and conduct problems. The results show that even after removal of the threat to validity presented by overlap in measures, there continue to be significant, interpretable relations between temperament and symptoms.
Subject(s)
Psychology, Child , Social Adjustment , Temperament , Affect , Attention , Child , Child Behavior/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/diagnosis , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Child Development/physiology , Female , Humans , Impulsive Behavior/diagnosis , Impulsive Behavior/psychology , MaleABSTRACT
Investigated the effects of self-regulation as a moderator of the relations between coping efforts and psychological symptoms of children of divorce. The interactions of two dimensions of self-regulation (task orientation and approach-flexibility) and two dimensions of coping (active and avoidant) predicting children's postdivorce symptoms were tested using a sample of 199 divorced mothers and their children, ages 8 to 12. The approach-flexibility dimension moderated the relations of both active and avoidant coping with children's self-report of anxiety. At higher levels of approach-flexibility, active coping was negatively related to anxiety, while at lower levels of approach-flexibility, active coping was unrelated to anxiety. Avoidant coping was unrelated to anxiety at higher levels of approach-flexibility, whereas at lower levels of approach-flexibility, avoidant coping was positively related to anxiety. The task orientation dimension did not interact with coping, but had direct, independent effects on children's self-report of conduct problems, depression, and parent-report of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. The implications for understanding children's coping with divorce and future directions for research are discussed.
