Schedule For Children Research Articles

Interviewing as communication: an alternative way of administering the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children.

Parents of 24 children referred to an outpatient psychology clinic (mean child age 10.8, range 6-15) were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version 2.3 (DSIC-2.3) twice in a 1-week test-retest reliability design (mean retesting interval = 7.5 days, range = 6-11 days). An alternative mode of administration of the DISC, based on communication principles, was used, involving (a) a schematic representation of the areas to be covered; (b) definition of a common language for the categories, diagnoses, and criteria; and (c) the respondent being allowed to select the order in which the diagnostic areas were covered. The DISC items and modules were unchanged. Symptom scores derived from the DISC were highly reliable over 1 week (average ICC = .85, range = .67-.95) and showed no attenuation from Time 1 to Time 2. Reliability of DSM diagnoses averaged kappa = .80 (range = .63-1.0). There was no significant attenuation in diagnoses from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall, this alternative way of administering the DISC appears to have promise for reducing attenuation and boosting the reliability-and ultimately the validity--of child psychiatric diagnoses. Further investigations of the mechanisms underlying these effects, and further studies with child and adolescent respondents and nonreferred community samples are recommended.

Subject and interview characteristics affecting reliability of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children.

Despite the well-known difficulties in obtaining reliable and valid assessments of child psychopathology, investigators generally have not examined the influence of factors such as subject characteristics or the specific assessment procedures themselves on the validity of the information obtained. To address these issues, this special section presents four studies of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children, in which investigators examined the impact of a range of variables on the reliability of its symptom and diagnostic information. Factors studied include interview structural characteristics; question length, complexity, and placement within the interview; and interview subject characteristics. Overall findings suggest that interview and subject characteristics exert important influences on the data obtained, and that novel approaches, such as allowing subjects a greater role in the ordering of questions to be answered, may improve the precision and accuracy of such measures of children's psychopathology.

Sensitivity for Treatment Effects of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders

The Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) is a relatively new self-report questionnaire that measures DSM-defined anxiety disorders symptoms in children. The present study examined the treatment sensitivity of the SCARED. Eleven anxiety-disordered children aged 10 to 13 years received cognitive-behavioral treatment, an intervention that is generally known to be effective. Children completed the SCARED on three occasions: (1) 3 months before treatment (i.e., baseline), (2) at pretreatment, and (3) at posttreatment. Before and after treatment, scores on traditional childhood anxiety measures (i.e., State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and Fear Survey Schedule for Children) were also obtained. Results showed that children's SCARED scores remained relatively stable from baseline to pretreatment. However, from pre- to post-treatment, significant decreases were evident for the SCARED and for all traditional measures. These results suggest that the SCARED reliably taps treatment effects and, thus, provide further support for its utility as a self-report index of childhood anxiety in clinical and research settings.

Fears in Swedish Children: A Normative Study of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of fears in Swedish children and to examine the relation of those fears to state and trait anxiety. The purpose was also to do a normative study of FSSC-R (Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised). In total, 550 children between 8 and 16 years of age answered the questionnaires. The results indicate that there are no gender differences in total fear score, factor scores and number of fears. In contrast to earlier results, there was no correlation between fear and trait anxiety; however, a modest correlation was found between fear and state anxiety

Preliminary validation and reliability of the Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale.

An 8-question Modified Child Dental Anxiety Scale was developed to assess children's concerns about specific dental procedures. These dental situations include examination, scale and polish, injection, filling, extraction, and relative and general anaesthesia. A question about how the child felt generally when visiting the dentist was also included. Children (n = 314) from two schools in Liverpool, ages 8 to 15 years, completed a questionnaire including the modified scale, Corah's Dental Anxiety Scale, the Dental Fear Survey Schedule for Children, and background questions (age, sex and previous dental experience). The internal consistency was favourable (alpha = .84) and test-retest reliability acceptable. This initial study suggests that the scale may be useful in trials to assess the benefits of interventions to assist children receive dental treatment.

The Youth Version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: A Psychometric Validation

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the revised Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C; Joiner, Catanzaro & Laurent, 1996) in 228 nonclinical children and adolescents aged between 8 and 15 years. The results revealed that the PANAS-C possesses high internal consistency and encouraging convergent validity, as demonstrated by correlations with the theoretically related constructs of Neuroticism and Extraversion. Construct validity was supported through confirmatory factor analysis, which revealed a two dimensional structure comprising Negative and Positive Affect. Divergent validity was confirmed by the nonsignificant correlation between positive and negative affect. Thus, the PANAS-C was demonstrated to have good reliability and validity, subject to minor changes in item content.

Utilizing Parent Report to Investigate Young Children's Fears: A Modification of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children–II: A Research Note

Utilizing Parent Report to Investigate Young Children's Fears: A Modification of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children–II: A Research Note

Anxiety and Depression in Children: A Preliminary Examination of the Utility of the PANAS-C

Recent research has questioned the validity of identifying depression and anxiety as separate constructs in children. The current investigation examined the usefulness of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) in differentiating between anxiety and depression in children while also providing needed reliability and validity data on the PANAS-C. In addition, the relationship between positive and negative affect and coping was examined. Subjects included 110 third through fifth graders from a semirural public school setting. Children completed the PANAS-C, as well as self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and coping strategies. Moderate item–total correlations and high internal consistency indicated that the PANAS-C has good reliability. Validity results were mixed: a two-factor solution resembled previous studies, and negative affect was associated with avoidance coping strategies whereas positive affect was associated with approach coping strategies, as expected. However, correlations of positive and negative affect, anxiety, and depression scales suggest that positive and negative affectivity are negatively related in children as opposed to separate and independent constructs. Results of the present investigation question the validity of the use of the PANAS-C for differentiating anxiety and depression with this age group and lend support to the possibility that high overlap between anxiety and depression in this age group may be specific for childhood depression.

The sibling relationships of adolescents with antisocial and comorbid mental disorders: an epidemiological investigation

AbstractA growing literature suggests that the sibling relationship provides one aetiologic context for the development of antisocial behaviour. This study adds to this body of work by examining associations between the quality of adolescent sibling relationships and antisocial behaviour in an epidemiological sample, and also by exploring whether such associations are conditional on the presentation of disorders comorbid with antisocial behaviour disorders. The sample consisted of 698 adolescents (at the average age of 16.2 years) participating in an epidemiological study of youth. Subjects completed a self‐report questionnaire on the quality of the sibling relationship, which yielded three correlated factors: negative, positive and competition. All subjects were assessed for psychiatric disorders using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. The primary focus was on 31 subjects who met ‘severe’ criteria for antisocial behaviour disorders (either conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder), and 46 subjects who met criteria for other psychiatric disorders. The antisocial adolescents reported significantly higher scores on the negative scale than the psychiatric control group. Furthermore, subjects with just antisocial disorders, as well as subjects with comorbid presentation of antisocial and other psychiatric disorders, had similar scores on the negative scale, which were elevated as compared with various psychiatric control groups. The results are consistent with theories which speculate that siblings influence the development of antisocial behaviour through direct training in coercive interaction. Furthermore, the analysis of comorbid presentation leads us to suggest that aversive sibling relationships may be specifically associated with antisocial behaviour disorders, rather than psychopathology in general. Copyright © 1997 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Trauma-related symptomatology among American Indian adolescents.

The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-2.1C), including the postraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) module, was administered to 109 American Indian adolescents from a Northern Plains reservation. In response to the DISC's open-ended probes, 61% of respondents reported at least one traumatic event. Despite high rates of trauma and substantial numbers of subsyndromal PTSD symptoms, the prevalence rate of diagnosable PTSD was found to be only 3%. The reporting of traumatic events was associated with increased prevalence of behavioral disorders and substance abuse or dependence diagnoses. There was, however, no significant difference in academic performance (grade point average or scholastic aptitude test scores) between those who reported traumatic events, or PTSD symptoms, and those who did not.

The use of a structured child interview (Finn Disc) in a child psychiatric inpatient sample

A sample of consecutively admitted school-age child psychiatric inpatients was interviewed on admission and at 5-month follow-up after discharge, using the Finnish version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (Finn Disc). The commonest problems reported by children were oppositional and depressive symptoms and problems at school. Children reported significant improvement in behaviour and emotional symptoms and in overall severity of dysfunction at follow-up. The correlation of total scores derived from Finn Disc was significant between admission and follow-up. However, the correlations of child interview total scores with parental, teachers', and clinical evaluations of children's behaviour and emotional problems and global functioning were nonsignificant.

Brief Research Report - Text Anxiety in Adolescents

ABSTRACTA large sample of adolescents were screened for test anxiety using the Test Anxiety Scale for Children (TASC). Subjects with low and high scores on the TASC were then compared in a structured clinical interview (Interview Schedule for Children, ISC). The high test anxious adolescents showed a significantly greater preponderance of disorders, particularly anxiety disorders. We argue that these findings have implications for counsellors and psychologists working in school settings.

Test Note: Reliability of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children – Revised

ABSTRACTThe reliability of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised was examined for a sample of Australian children (N=79). All subjects were individually assessed on two occasions (2 week interval). Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were found to be satisfactory. These findings are consistent with previous research on the instrument using American children (Ollendick, 1983).

Models of school-age child care: A review of current research on implications for women and their children

This article discusses various models of children's out-of-school care arrangements, mainly in the United States of America. Forms of care include programs or centers, family day care homes, and self-care. The implications of each of these different systems of care and outcomes for both children and their parents are reviewed through the lens of existing research. While there is no consensus in the research literature, so-called “latch-key” children appear to experience more negative effects than supervised peers, although these negative effects may be mitigated by variables, such as the amount of time spent alone and the parent-child relationship. A small group of studies finds positive outcomes for children who participate in recreational after-school programs, although age-inappropriate care arrangements and age of participating child may be associated with negative outcomes. No research has been conducted across program types. Many mothers of school-age children without regular after-school care or alternative care on school holidays, appear to accomodate their career and work choices to their children's schedules, possibly in order to avoid the “latch-key” alternative.

Convergence of DSM-III Diagnoses and Self-Reported Symptoms in Child and Adolescent Inpatients

A systematic study of the relationship between empirically-derived diagnoses and symptom patterns is reported in a sample of 160 preadolescents and adolescents consecutively admitted to a psychiatric inpatient setting. Results show that the DSM-III diagnoses generated using the child version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-C) were significantly associated with several factor analytically-derived symptom scales of the Achenbach and Edelbrock Youth Self-Report. The results included the finding of significant associations for conduct disorders with the delinquency scale, for affective disorders with the depressed scale, and for both affective and anxiety disorders with the broad-band internalizing scales. This study suggests implications about diagnostic categorizations and construct validity as well as implications for clinical evaluation.

Anxiety in Visually Handicapped Children and Youth

This study was designed to assess anxiety in visually handicapped children and youth using multiple measures. Seventy-five visually handicapped children and youth were assessed in special education programs in Illinois. The primary purpose was to replicate and extend the few studies in the area, by establishing reliability data on the scales, examining the interrelationship of the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire, Fear Survey Schedule for Children, and Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale on self-report. Reliability coefficients of .74 on the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire to .96 on the Fear Survey Schedule were found. These data show good internal consistency and suggest that a unitary construct is being measured. Second, the correlation between the total scores for all three measures and State-Trait factors of the Self-Evaluation Questionnaire were measured and proved that the two factors and total score on the scale were measuring a related construct. Conversely, the Fear Survey Schedule and Child Manifest An...

An investigation of children's fears and their mothers' fears

Children (75 female, 52 male) in grades 2 through 8 completed the Fear Survey Schedule for Children (FSS-FC). Their mothers completed the same questionnaire twice: once for themselves and a second time to estimate their children's fears. Spearman's rhos indicated that there was a high degree of correspondence between the mothers' rank-ordered estimates of their children's fears and the children's rank-ordered self-reports (ϱ=.86 for males, ϱ=.96 for females.However, mothers' overall estimates of their children's general fearfulness were significantly correlated only with their daughters' fearfulness, not with their sons'. Further analyses showed that mothers could generally identify their children's highest-rated fears. All test-retest measures were significant. In summary, these results suggest that mothers may provide useful clinical information about their children's specific fears and that the FSS-FC is a reliable instrument with which to assess children's fears.

Judy Blume as Archie Bunker

Judy Blume as Archie Bunker Jill P. May If you were to ask, "What's the difference between a children's book written by Lloyd Alexander and one written by Judy Blume" I might ask you, "What's the difference between the cartoon page of the local paper and the editorial page in the New York Times?" Each has a real function in our world; some would say that we couldn't do without either one. When I sit down to read the evening newspaper I usually read the comics first. After all, I've already done my serious thinking. What I really want to do is relax, and the best way to relax is to laugh at my own human failings. There they are, all ready for me to see. I can laugh at Hi and Lois because they seem to be facing the everyday problems that I sometimes face myself, whether it's raking the leaves, balancing the check book, or deciding who handles the children's schedules on Saturday. I laugh at their problems and their inane solutions because they remind me that I'm not the only one who pretends that silly solutions are quite sensible. I do not, however, take the comics seriously. I simply enjoy a familiar situation without feeling a need to reflect upon my behavior or to change my attitudes. A youngster choosing Judy Blume is choosing what Booklist once called the "good read," the contemporary story which shows her (or him) that others worry about physical development, family values, and peer acceptance. The young reader can laugh at the main character's inadequacies while at the same time acknowledging that this is an experience shared by many youngsters in that age group. Most children do not, however, take these books seriously. They are simply enjoying a familiar scene without experiencing pressure to change. When they meet their friends they will ask, "Have your read Judy Blume's new book?" They might even giggle over scenes that deal with subjects not often discussed by adults with children. But they won't sit down for a long talk about what Judy Blume really means. The book doesn't deserve that kind of consideration. When I turn to the editorial page I am looking for "guiding messages." I hope that the authors will give me insight that can help me sort out my uneasy feelings about the world as it is, compared to my projections of the world "as it should be." And so, I turn to Ellen Goodman, not because she tells me about solutions to great international crises or even because she suggests that government would be better run by women. Ellen Goodman reaches to my soul. She tells me about the injustices that I (or my daughters) will face in the daily world; she shows me the unsophisticated smugness that comes from supporting causes without facing individual human needs; she shows me that life in its day-to-day routine could be more ideal. When children turn to Lloyd Alexander they are turning to their guiding light. They do not expect that he will relate to their mundane existence as fifth, or sixth, or seventh grade students. They do not see his books as ones that will help them to understand the hard facts of being laughed at in class or to face the inevitabilities of physical maturity. And there are no juicy passages in his books that are worth sharing simply because "the elders wouldn't approve." Lloyd Alexander reaches for their souls. He tells them about the injustices that young heroes must struggle against; he shows them that truth, honesty and courage are worthwhile virtues; he shows them that to be a hero one must first be a human. And, in the end, he shows us a world that should be. I appreciate Ellen Goodman more than any other editorial writer. She helps me formulate my thinking, and she forces me out of my complacency as a wife, mother, and a career woman. She stirs me to action; she makes me talk up for women at cocktail parties when I should be quietly refreshing drinks. But I must admit...

A Children's Reinforcement Survey Schedule

This paper describes a Children's Reinforcement Survey Schedule based on the Reinforcement Survey Schedule developed by Cautela and Kastenbaum (1967). The children's schedule is presented in three forms. There are two, parallel short forms for children in kindergarten through Grade 3, and a long form for children in Grades 4 through 6. A reliability test in the form of a test-retest situation was administered on all three forms of the new scale and the product-moment correlations (.48—.72) obtained were all significant ( p < .02). The scale might be used in three general areas: initially in behavioral assessment, subsequently in clinical procedures applicable either in individual or group settings with children, and in research.

A Short Algebra Program for a P.T.A. Open House Meeting

In the fall of each year, the P.T.A. of Northeast Junior High School, Kansas City, Missouri sponsors an Open House night meeting, at which, after a short program in the auditorium, each parent follows his child's schedule of classes for fifteen minute periods. In each class period, the “pupils” of the evening have a chance to meet their “teachers” and to gain some small idea of the courses for which they are “enrolled.”