Child Behavior Checklist Ratings Research Articles

Instrumental and hostile aggression in childhood disruptive behavior disorders.

An analogue task of instrumental and hostile aggression during a competitive game was evaluated in a sample of clinically-referred 8- to 12-year-old aggressive boys. Similar to a prior task in a normative sample (Hoving, Wallace, & La Forme, 1979), both types of aggression increased during provocation as compared to baseline, indicating the success of the provocation manipulation, with moderate correlations between the two aggressive responses. The aggressive group with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the aggressive group without ADHD each had higher rates of instrumental aggression than controls. Only the aggressive/ADHD group had higher rates of hostile aggression than controls. Parent Child Behavior Checklist ratings indicated a modest but significant unique relationship between instrumental aggression and delinquency. The high rate of both types of aggression in the aggressive/ADHD group suggests that comorbid ADHD and aggression may result in qualitative differences in aggressive behavior. The high rate of hostile aggression in the aggressive-ADHD group supports theoretical assumptions regarding the relationship of hostile aggression to poor impulse control.

Pathways of Problem Behaviors from Childhood to Adolescence

Objective the purpose of this study was to determine the 6-year longitudinal course of psychiatric disorders in children from the general population commencing at age 4 to 11 years. Method three groups of children were selected on the basis of Child Behavior Checklist ratings obtained at 2-year intervals: “persisters,” “decreasers,” and “increasers.” Selected subjects and their parents were clinically interviewed, and DSM-III-R diagnoses were derived. Results the majority of children whose overall level of psychopathology persisted over time obtained lifetime DSM-III-R diagnoses classified as externalizing: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional disorder, or conduct disorder. The majority of children whose overall level of psychopathology decreased obtained lifetime DSM-III-R diagnoses classified as internalizing: anxiety disorders, major depression, or dysthymic disorder. Children with initial Child Behavior Checklist scores in the normal range whose problem scores increased received lifetime diagnoses that were neither predominantly externalizing or internalizing. Conclusions this study showed that the majority of initially disordered children with the poorest outcome showed aggressive or antisocial behaviors, whereas disordered children whose functioning improved had problems reflecting fearful, inhibited, or depressive behavior. The findings also showed that retrospective information on the course of children's problem behaviors should be regarded with caution.