Distinguishing between conduct-problem and emotionally disturbed students in elementary school: a five-instrument discriminant analysis.

Abstract

Five instruments, the Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Differential Test of Conduct and Emotional Problems, Personality Inventory for Children, Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale, and Revised Behavior Problem Checklist, were employed to effect differentiations between 44 conduct-problem and 31 emotionally disturbed students placed in public elementary school classes for the severely emotionally handicapped. Discriminant analysis of each test's rate of classification germane to both a preassessment categorization as conduct-problem vs emotionally disturbed and a postassessment classification as no problem vs conduct-problem vs emotionally disturbed vs combined problem is presented. The analysis indicated that the Differential Test of Conduct and Emotional Problems, Personality Inventory for Children, and Revised Behavior Problem Checklist can, with variable effectiveness, significantly classify groups using such pre- and postassessment information.