Child Behavior Checklist Scores Research Articles

No Association between Elevated Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone at Birth and Parent-Reported Problem Behavior at Preschool Age.

Mild level of iodine deficiency during pregnancy may reduce maternal thyroid hormone production and supply to the fetus hence affecting brain neurodevelopment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between elevated neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level (>5 mU/L), used as a marker of maternal mild iodine deficiency during late pregnancy, and behavioral development of preschool children. This retrospective cohort study included 310 Belgian mothers and their children aged 4-5 years old with TSH levels in the range of 0.45-15 mU/L at birth. The TSH level was measured in dried blood spots on filter paper collected by heel stick 3-5 days after birth. Low birth weight, prematurely born children, or children with congenital hypothyroidism were excluded. The degree of behavioral problems was evaluated using the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) for age 1½-5 years questionnaire. Relevant socioeconomic, maternal, and child factors were also collected. TSH concentrations and CBCL scores were not associated both in univariate analysis and when adjusting for confounding factors in multivariate analysis. Elevated TSH concentrations measured at birth was not associated with behavioral development scores.

Emotional and behavioral problems of children in residential care: Screening detection and referrals to mental health services

Adverse family conditions, abuse and neglect during childhood present important risk factors for the appearance of emotional and behavioral problems. The main aim of this paper is to describe the presence of these kinds of disorders in children in residential child care and to explore individual, socio-family and care process factors associated with the use of mental health services. The sample consisted of 1216 children 6–18years old in residential care in several Spanish regions. Information about emotional and behavioral problems was gathered according to two criteria: receiving some kind of treatment services and/or being identified as within the clinical range in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results showed that 49% of cases were receiving some kind of mental health treatment and 61% were identified as within the clinical range in some of the broad band scales of the CBCL. In terms of agreement between referral to treatment and CBCL scores, results showed that four out of ten cases identified as within the clinical range were not receiving any kind of treatment. Several factors related to the type of problems detected in the CBCL, personal variables, and child care arrangements are associated with greater use of mental health services.

Behavioral Problems in Indian Children with Epilepsy.

To assess prevalence of behavioral problems in children with epilepsy. This was a cross-sectional study of children with epilepsy, and normal controls enrolled between July 2013 to June 2015. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used as a tool to assess the behavior based on parents reported observation. There were 60 children with epilepsy in 2-5 years and 80 in 6-14 years age groups, and 74 and 83 unaffected controls, respectively. Mean CBCL scores for most of the domains in children of both age groups were significantly higher than controls. Clinical range abnormalities were mainly detected in externalizing domain (23.3%) in 2-5 years, and in both internalizing (21.2%) and externalizing (45%) domains in children of 6-14 years. Younger age of onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease had significant correlation with behavioral problems in both the age groups. Antiepileptic drug polytherapy was significantly associated with internalizing problems in older children. Age at onset, frequency of seizures and duration of disease were found to be significantly associated with occurrence of behavioral problems.

Penile appearance, social adaptation and psychological condition of children and adolescents who underwent hypospadias: a follow-up study

Objective To evaluate the outcomes of hypospadias surgery relating to penile appearance, social adaptation and psychological condition in children and adolescents. Methods 85 patients who underwent urethroplasty (2003-2013) in our department, hypospadias was distal and proximal in 50 and 35 patients; 27 of them with complications. All of patients were interviewed by a urologist in our department with self-designed questionnaire, Achenlach Child Behavior Checklist(CBCL) and Pediatric Penile Perception Score(PPPS). Mean age was 9.97 years and median follow-up of 6.4 years. Results 67(77.0%) patients were satisfied with their penile appearance. Patients with complications or more surgical times were more likely to improve the appearance by operation again. The PPPS data showed that patients themselves were most satisfied with the appearance of the genitals than the parents of boys or the urologists. Patients with poor genital self-perception, lower satisfaction of their penile appearance or severer types of hypospadias, they were more likely to suffer from psychosocial problems(P<0.05). The higher knowledge of hypospadias predicted the more positive penile self-perception, and the better follow-up rate(P<0.05). CBCL survey data revealed that some patients had few hobbies, while their social situation and learning ability were normal. Conclusions Boys with corrected hypospadias appeared to experience normal social and learning ability. The type of hypospadias, surgical times, complications and the penile appearance were important factors in assessing the outcome of hypospadias. Key words: Hypospadias; Cosmetic; Psychology; Follow-up Study

Temporal discounting and emotional self-regulation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Temporal Discounting (TD) reflects a tendency to discount a reward more deeply the longer its delivery is delayed. TD tasks and behavioral scales have been used to investigate 'hot' executive functions in ADHD. The present study analyzed TD task performance shown by ADHD and control groups for correlations with emotional self-regulation metrics from two scales, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Children (ages 8-12) with ADHD (n=25) and controls (n=24) were assessed using material rewards (toys) for three types of task: Hypothetical (H); Hypothetical with temporal expectation (HTE); and Real (R). Between-group differences were found for the HTE task, on which the ADHD group showed a higher rate of discounting their favorite toy over time, especially at 10s and 20s. This was the only task on which performance significantly correlated with BRIEF metrics, thus suggesting associations between impulsivity and low emotional self-regulation, but no task was correlated with CBCL score. The conclusion is that tasks involving toys and HTE in particular may be used to investigate TD in children with ADHD and as a means of evaluating the interface between the reward system and emotional self-regulation.

Social Context and Violence Exposure as Predictors of Internalizing Symptoms in Mothers and Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence

Family and social environment may play a part in children’s post-violence adjustment. The goal of this paper is to examine which factors are related to internalizing symptoms in mothers and their children exposed to intimate partner violence. Participants were 208 mothers exposed to domestic violence. Mothers responded using the Conflict Tactics Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and other standardized scales. They also reported on their children’s internalizing symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). For the whole group, children’s CBCL scores were related to higher maternal depression and lower maternal self-esteem. Factors determining internalizing in children varied based upon the child’s race. This study illustrates the importance of factors, such as maternal depression, maternal self-esteem, violence exposure, and social support, in determining whether a child exposed to domestic violence develops internalizing symptoms, and that ecological factors may have different effects on children based on race.

Behavioral Problems and Childhood Epilepsy: Parent vs Child Perspectives

To test whether the reported association between pediatric epilepsy and behavioral problems may be distorted by the use of parental proxy report instruments. Children in the Connecticut Study of Epilepsy were assessed 8-9 years after their epilepsy diagnosis (time-1) with the parent-proxy Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) (ages 6-18 years) or the Young Adult Self-Report (≥18 years of age). For children <18 years of age, parents also completed the Child Health Questionnaire, which contains scales for impact of child's illness on the parents. The same study subjects completed the Adult Self-Report 6-8 years later (time-2). Sibling controls were also tested. Case-control differences were examined for evidence suggesting more behavioral problems in cases with epilepsy than in controls based on proxy- vs self-report measures. At time-1, parent-proxy CBCL scores were significantly higher (worse) for cases than controls (n = 140 matched pairs). After adjustment for Child Health Questionnaire scales reflecting parent emotional and time impact, only 1 case-control difference on the CBCL remained significant. Self-reported Young Adult Self-Report scores did not differ between cases and controls (n = 42 pairs). At time-2, there were no significant self-reported case-control differences on the Adult Self-Report (n = 105 pairs). Parent-proxy behavior measures appear to be influenced by the emotional impact of epilepsy on parents. This may contribute to apparent associations between behavioral problems and childhood epilepsy. Self-report measures in older adolescents (>18 years of age) and young adults do not confirm parental perceptions. Evidence suggesting more behavioral problems in children with epilepsy should be interpreted in light of the source of information.

Serum copeptin in children exposed to maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been related to a persistent reprograming of stress-response. Copeptin is a marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation; however, few studies have examined copeptin levels in children exposed to CM. The aim of this study was to compare serum copeptin levels in children reporting child abuse and/or neglect and children with no history of CM. This study included 65 children with a positive history of moderate to severe CM, as reported by themselves and their parent(s) during a clinical interview, and 71 children with no history of CM as a comparison group. CM was considered moderate to severe based on the child-reported frequency of being exposed to events related to sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and/or physical neglect. Child psychopathology symptoms were assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). We measured serum copeptin concentration using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Children exposed to CM exhibited higher levels of serum copeptin compared to children without CM when controlling for sex, age, and psychiatric morbidity. The CBCL total score, including internalizing and externalizing symptoms, was higher in children with CM. We found no correlation between copeptin and CBCL scores for internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms. CM is associated with copeptin serum levels independently of age, sex, and symptom severity. Copeptin is a promising new biomarker for children with a history of abuse and/or neglect.

Upper respiratory infection during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes among offspring

ObjectiveMaternal infection during pregnancy is associated with psychiatric disorders among offspring. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between upper respiratory infection (URI) in pregnancy and measures of cognitive and behavioral outcomes in child offspring. Materials and methodsA longitudinal study of 534 mother-child pairs with information regarding prenatal exposures collected through an interview conducted on average one year after delivery and subsequent participation in a childhood cognitive and psychosocial assessment between the ages 5–12years. Childhood cognition was measured using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) and the Beery-Buktenica Test of Visual Motor Integration-Fifth Edition (VMI-5) and behavioral function measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and teacher-report using the Teacher Report Form (TRF). Adjusted mean differences (adjMD) in outcome measures were calculated between mothers reporting the presence or absence of a URI during pregnancy. ResultsURI during pregnancy was not associated with the two measures of cognition given to offspring, but was associated with modest increases in total behavioral problems reported by mothers (adjMD: 3.72; CI: 1.91–5.54) and teachers (adjMD: 2.74; CI: 0.97–4.50). We observed differences in CBCL and TRF scores based on timing of URI: infections in mid-pregnancy (lunar months 4–5) were associated with poorer scores than were infections in early pregnancy (lunar months 2–3). ConclusionsIn general, URI in pregnancy was not associated with decrements in childhood cognition, but may be associated with behavior problems.

Impact of functional constipation on psychosocial functioning and quality of life of children: A cross sectional study

AimFunctional constipation (FC) is one of the common diseases among children. Many problems are common in children with FC. The aim of this study was to detect whether FC has a negative impact on the behavioral and emotional aspects, quality of life and intelligence of children. MethodsIn this cross-sectional, case–control study, one hundred children participated; 50 children (mean age, 7.52±2.74years, range 4–12years) with FC and 50 healthy children (mean age, 7.00±1.52, range 4–12years) recruited from the cases’ sibs with age and sex matching to them. Behavior and emotional problems were assessed using the Arabic translation of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. In addition, the Arabic version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL™ 4.0) was used to evaluate the children’s and parents’ quality of life. Lastly, Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale was carried out. ResultsAlthough, healthy control children were recruited from the patients’ sibs, patients had higher CBCL scores than control children in all items except for the attention and the aggressive items. Also, total PedsQL™ 4.0 scores were lower in children with FC and their parents (p<0.001). Furthermore, All participating children had between average and above average Stanford Binet Intelligence Scale scores and there was no score difference between patients and control (p=0.26). ConclusionEmotional and behavioral problems are common in children with FC so as quality of life which is compromised in those children and their parents suggesting incorporation of behavioral and quality of life screening into their diagnostic workup.

Can Targeted Intervention Mitigate Early Emotional and Behavioral Problems?: Generating Robust Evidence within Randomized Controlled Trials.

This study examined the impact of a targeted Irish early intervention program on children’s emotional and behavioral development using multiple methods to test the robustness of the results. Data on 164 Preparing for Life participants who were randomly assigned into an intervention group, involving home visits from pregnancy onwards, or a control group, was used to test the impact of the intervention on Child Behavior Checklist scores at 24-months. Using inverse probability weighting to account for differential attrition, permutation testing to address small sample size, and quantile regression to characterize the distributional impact of the intervention, we found that the few treatment effects were largely concentrated among boys most at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. The average treatment effect identified a 13% reduction in the likelihood of falling into the borderline clinical threshold for Total Problems. The interaction and subgroup analysis found that this main effect was driven by boys. The distributional analysis identified a 10-point reduction in the Externalizing Problems score for boys at the 90th percentile. No effects were observed for girls or for the continuous measures of Total, Internalizing, and Externalizing problems. These findings suggest that the impact of this prenatally commencing home visiting program may be limited to boys experiencing the most difficulties. Further adoption of the statistical methods applied here may help to improve the internal validity of randomized controlled trials and contribute to the field of evaluation science more generally.Trial Registration: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN04631728

Role of Direct and Indirect Violence Exposure on Externalizing Behavior in Children.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between externalizing behaviors and indirect violence exposure, assessed both within the household and at the community level, as well as the interaction effect of indirect and direct violence exposure. A sample of parents of children ages 4-15 who have not been referred or enrolled in child welfare (n = 82) were recruited from the greater New Orleans community. Externalizing behavior was assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The child's indirect exposure to violence included witnessing community violence, witnessing physical assault, and witnessing fighting or domestic violence at home. Direct exposure to violence included the child experiencing physical aggression from a caregiver. All assessments were based on caregiver reports. To decrease potential for confounding, children were matched for analysis based on age, Hurricane Katrina exposure, and their propensity to be exposed to high indirect violence. Cumulative indirect exposure to violence was significantly positively correlated with CBCL scores. After controlling for key covariates, CBCL externalizing T score increased significantly by approximately 1.25 points for each level increase in indirect violence exposure (β = 1.25, SE = 0.57, p = 0.027). There also was a significant interaction between indirect and direct exposure to violence in the association with CBCL score (β = -0.08, SE = 0.03, p = 0.002). These findings extend previous research by demonstrating that exposure to both direct and cross-contextual indirect violence influences externalizing behaviors in children. Additionally, the findings suggest that community and household social environments are both important targets for interventions designed to decrease externalizing behaviors and improve long-term outcomes for youth at risk of exposure to violence.

Suicidal Behavior, Violent Behavior, and Neurocognitive Function in Child and Adolescent Mood Disorder Patients

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the association between current suicidal or violent behavior and deficits of specific neurocognitive variables in child and adolescent inpatient samples diagnosed with mood disorder. Methods: A retrospective review of the charts of mood disorder patients hospitalized at Samsung Medical Center between April 2004 and April 2015 was conducted. Child and adolescent patients aged between 10 and 18 years old and those who finished neurocognitive function testing during their hospitalization were included. Among them patients whose full scale IQ was between 85 and 115 were selected (N=111). Participants were first divided into two age-groups–group Y (10≤age≤15, N=54) and group O (16≤age≤18, N=57)–because neurocognitive function test tools were different according to age [Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) for 10 to 15-year-old patients, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) for 16 to 18-year-old patients]. They were then divided according to their suicidal or violent behavior–non suicidal/violent group (NG), suicidal group (SG), violent group (VG), and both suicidal/violent group (BG). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was checked for measurement of participants’ behavior and the Gordon Diagnostic System was checked for measurement of their attention efficiency. Kruskal-Wallis Test and Tukey test was used to determine the differences in neurocognitive function between groups. Results: O-SG patients showed lower scores on the comprehension subscale of WAIS-III than O-NG patients (χ2=8.454, p=.015). O-VG patients showed lower scores on the block design subscales of WAIS than O-SG patients (χ2=7.496, p=.024). Y-VG patients showed higher scores in aggressive behavior, externalizing problems, and total problems scores of CBCL. Conclusion: This study showed relationship between specific neurocognitive deficits and suicidal or violent behavior. These relationships were significant in relatively older adolescents.

For Better or Worse? Change in Service Use by Children Investigated by Child Welfare Over a Decade

BackgroundChildren, particularly minority children, referred to child welfare because of suspected maltreatment are vulnerable and need many services. We sought to assess whether service use has improved over the past decade and whether racial-ethnic disparities in service use have decreased. MethodsWe used 2 national data sets (the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being [NSCAW] I and II) collected a decade apart to assess changes over time in health, education, mental health (MH), and dental services and overall service use. ResultsIn NSCAW II more children were young, had lower Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores, and were Hispanic. We found significant increases in dental services, a decrease in special education services, and a decrease in MH services on the bivariate level (all P < .01). A large proportion of the change in MH services occurred in school settings, but the pattern continued when examining only those services delivered outside of school. The greatest decrease occurred for children with CBCL scores <64. However, in multivariate analyses, older children, white non-Hispanic children, and children placed out of the home were significantly more likely to receive MH services. Rates of MH services controlling for CBCL scores showed no improvement over the decade, nor was there a decrease in racial and ethnic disparities. ConclusionsThese data showed no change in MH services over time for children referred for child welfare evaluation, but improvement in dental services was noted. Racial and ethnic disparities persist. Decrease in MH services occurred predominantly among children whose MH symptoms were below the clinical range.

Evaluation of psychometric properties and factorial structure of the pre-school child behaviour checklist at the Kenyan Coast.

BackgroundBehavioural/emotional problems may be common in preschool children living in resource-poor settings, but assessment of these problems in preschool children from poor areas is challenging owing to lack of appropriate behavioural screening tools. The child behaviour checklist (CBCL) is widely known for its reliability in identifying behavioural/emotional problems in preschool children, but it has not been validated for use in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWith permission from developers of CBCL, we translated this tool into Ki-Swahili and adapted the items to make them culturally appropriate and contextually relevant and examined the psychometric properties of the CBCL, particularly reliability, validity and factorial structure in a Kenyan community preschool sample of 301 children. It was also re-administered after 2 weeks to 38 randomly selected respondents, for the purpose of evaluating retest reliability. To evaluate inter-informant reliability, the CBCL was administered to 46 respondents (17 alternative caretakers and 29 fathers) alongside the child’s mother. Generalised linear model was used to measure associations with behavioural/emotional scores. We used structural equation modelling to perform a confirmatory factor analysis to examine the seven-syndrome CBCL structure.ResultsDuring the first phase we found that most of the items could be adequately translated and easily understood by the participants. The inter-informant agreement for CBCL scores was excellent between the mothers and other caretakers [Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) = 0.89, p < 0.001] and fathers (r = 0.81; p < 0.001). The test–retest reliability was acceptable (r = 0.76; p < 0.001). The scale internal consistency coefficients were excellent for total problems [Cronbach’s alpha (α) = 0.95] and between good and excellent for most CBCL sub-scales (α = 0.65–0.86). Behavioural/emotional scores were associated with pregnancy complications [adjusted beta coefficient (β) = 0.44 (95 % CI, 0.07–0.81)] and adverse perinatal events [β = 0.61 (95 % CI, 0.09–1.13)] suggesting discriminant validity of the CBCL. Most fit indices for the seven-syndrome CBCL structure were within acceptable range, being <0.09 for root mean squared error of approximation and >0.90 for Tucker–Lewis Index and Comparative Fit Index.ConclusionThe CBCL has good psychometric properties and the seven-syndrome structure fits well with the Kenyan preschool children suggesting it can be used to assess behavioural/emotional problems in this rural area.

Externalizing behavior and impulsivity in the children of alcoholics: A case-control study

Context: Reduced behavioural inhibition, characterized by impulsivity and disruptive behaviour disorders, has been identified as a developmental precursor of alcoholism with a considerable genetic component. Aims: The present study aimed to assess whether children of fathers with alcohol dependence have high impulsivity and externalizing behaviours. Setting and Design: Observational case-control study, done in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Southern India. Materials and Methods: The present case-control study recruited 50 children aged 7 to 14 years of fathers with alcohol dependence and 50 age- and gender-matched children of fathers without alcohol dependence. The two groups were compared using the DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD, the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive statistics used to summarise the study findings. Cases and controls were compared on BIS and CBCL scores using a general linear model (GLM). All analyses were two tailed and test P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The children of fathers with alcohol dependence were more likely to meet criteria for ADHD (30% versus 10%, χ2 = 6.250, P = 0.012). After controlling for age and gender, impulsivity scores on the BIS tended to be higher in the cases (F = 2.410, P = 0.055) than controls, mainly in the non-planning domains (F = 3.650, P = 0.008). Similarly, externalizing behaviours on CBCL were more common in the cases than controls (F = 2.817, P = 0.029). Conclusions: Children of fathers with alcohol dependence had greater impulsivity and externalizing behaviours. This may represent a behavioural phenotype as well as a potential target for early intervention.

Self-concept and psychiatric comorbidity in a sample of Egyptian adolescents with secondary nocturnal enuresis

Objective Enuresis is a common problem in children and adolescents that can be troubling for them and their families. The potential effect of enuresis on the synthesis of identity and self-concept in children and adolescents is still poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the probable impact of secondary nocturnal enuresis on the self-concept of Egyptian adolescents. Participants and methods Forty patients aged 10-18 years with a diagnosis of secondary enuresis and 40 control children of the same age range were recruited. A validated Arabic version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) in addition to the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) and an Arabic-translated and validated version of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale were applied to evaluate the sample. Results After statistical adjustment for differences in intelligence quotient and socioeconomic status, youth with enuresis showed lower school, social, and total competence scores on CBCL but higher scores in all CBCL problem parameters. Adolescents with enuresis scored lower than control adolescents in all six subscales of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale in addition to the total score. Linear regression was used to adjust the results for significant differences between the two groups regarding intelligence quotient, socioeconomic status, CBCL school competence, CBCL total problems, and diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder according to the MINI-KID interview. Differences in three subscales - behavior, intellect, and physical appearance - in addition to the total score were still significant after adjustment. Comparison between youth with nocturnal enuresis versus those with combined-type enuresis yielded no significant differences. Conclusion Older children and adolescents with enuresis suffer from high internalizing and externalizing problems, and low competence levels. They also suffer from low self-esteem that is most probably the result of enuresis itself and not due to low competence levels or behavioral problems. Further research is needed to determine the effect of treatment on the self-concept of these children.

A Pilot Study of Self-Care Program of Mindful Life Approach for Improvements of Socially Problematic Behaviors of Children with Developmental Disorders through Caregivers

Objective: To ascertain the problematic behaviors of children with developmental disorders through their parents who conduct the exercises based on the mindful life approach. Subject: 22 Parents having children with developmental disorders agreed to join in our study. The number of children of the above was 14 boys and two girls. Most of the children were given a single diagnosis of PDD (43.8%) or a dual diagnosis of PDD and ADHD (43.8%). Method: Before and after the three workshops, three self-administered questionnaires of the Japanese version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 4-18, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were assessed. Result: The changes of scores of the Externalizing scale and Aggressive behavior of CBCL in children had significantly decreased at the end of observation (p<0.05). For the changes in trait anxiety of the two parental groups of the more (N=6) or the less (N=5) improved regarding their children’s score of the Aggressive behavior scale score of CBCL, the average in the last half of assessments was significantly lower than the average of the first half in the more improved group (p<0.05). The average of CES-D score in the more improved group (N=6) in Aggressive behavior scale score of CBCL was lower than in the less improved group (N=5) (p<0.01). For the changes of state anxiety scores, the average score of the more improved group (N=6) of the Externalizing scale of CBCL was significantly lower than that of the less improved group (N=5) within the observed period (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that the anti-social behaviours of the children with developmental disorders had been lowered by the improvements of their parent’s mental states involving anxiety and depression through their mindful life exercises in daily situation.

Screening for psychopathology in a national cohort of 8- to 15-year-old children with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is often accompanied by psychopathology and learning disability. Aims(1) to evaluate the prevalence of psychopathology as estimated by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) parental questionnaire in 8- to 15-year-old Danish children with CP and to analyze its association with cognitive ability and families’ social characteristics; (2) to examine to what extent children with CP had been evaluated by a child psychiatrist and/or psychologist. MethodThe parents of 462 children with CP answered a questionnaire about their child's treatment and the family's characteristics and 446 the CBCL. The cutoff for psychopathology was the Total CBCL score or DSM-oriented scores above the 93rd percentile in an age- and gender-stratified population. ResultsThe psychopathology screening was positive in 46.2% (CI 41.6–50.8%) against 15.1% in general population. Cognitive disability was associated with an increased prevalence of psychopathology (odds ratio (OR) 2.6, CI 1.4–4.6, for Developmental Quotient of cognitive function (DQ) 50–85 and OR 3.0, CI 1.3–7.0, for DQ<50). Children with CP and a single parent showed increased odds for a positive CBCL screening compared to children living with two parents (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1–4.0). Children with DQ 50–85 more often had a psychological evaluation. A positive CBCL screening was strongly associated with a psychiatric assessment (21% vs. 7%, p<0.01). ConclusionThe high prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems indicates that screening for psychopathology should be a part of multidisciplinary follow-up of CP. The CBCL can be used as a screening instrument in children with CP without severe motor and cognitive disability.

Pre-adoption adversity and behavior problems in adopted Chinese children: A longitudinal study

In this paper, we report (1) trajectories in adopted Chinese children's behavior problems over six years, (2) how pre-adoption adversity predicted Wave 1 behavior problems and the rate of behavioral change in subsequent Waves, and (3) the predictive importance of age at adoption relative to four psychosocial measures of pre-adoption adversity. Four waves (across six years) of data on 1285 adopted children (Mage at adoption=16.40months, SD=15.40; Mage=4.89years, SD=2.96 at Wave 1) were collected from adoptive mothers with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). At Wave 1, data on age at adoption, and four psychosocial measures of pre-adoption adversity were collected: physical signs/symptoms (e.g., sores) of deprivation, developmental delays at arrival, refusal/avoidance behaviors, and crying/clinging behaviors during the first three weeks of adoption. Multilevel modeling yielded three key findings: First, the adopted Chinese children's CBCL scores increased over time. Second, signs/symptoms, refusal/avoidance and crying/clinging behavior predicted differences in the adopted children's Internalizing, Externalizing and Total CBCL scores at study entry; developmental delays at arrival predicted differences in Internalizing and Total CBCL scores at study entry. Crying/clinging scores also predicted rates of change in Internalizing and Total CBCL scores. Refusal/avoidance scores also predicted rates of change in Internalizing, Externalizing and Total CBCL scores. Finally, the four psychosocial measures of pre-adoption adversity outperformed age at adoption as predictors of CBCL scores at study entry and the rate of change in CBCL scores in subsequent Waves.