Community Social Behavior Scales Research Articles

Assessing social competence and antisocial behaviors in children: item response theory analysis of the home and community social behavior scales

BackgroundThe Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS) is a rating scale that assesses social competence and antisocial behavior among children and youths between ages 5–18. The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the HCSBS by applying item response theory (IRT).MethodsThe HCSBS was completed by parents of 551 Norwegian children refereed to three independent interventions towards problem behaviors. Data used in this study was collected before the interventions started. IRT was carried out in R version 4.0.0 to investigate HCSBS items, subscales and main scales.ResultsThe results showed that the two-dimensional IRT models for social competence and antisocial behavior were the most appropriate. The measurement precision of the scales was high for a large range of the latent spectrum, and estimated reliabilities were satisfactory. Model evaluations indicated that the overall model fit for the scales were acceptable, but some misfit existed with respect to specific item pairs.ConclusionThe results indicate that the HCSBS is a reliable measurement instrument although there is still a potential for improvement by revising some of the items.

Music Therapy with Children Whose Mothers Are in Residential Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: A Program Evaluation

Abstract Children who experience multiple stressors may benefit from music therapy programming that addresses the development of social skills, self-expression, and coping mechanisms. Emerging evidence supports the use of improvisation techniques, group songwriting, and drumming activities to support self-regulation and increase social competence. In this article, we aimed to describe the inception and evaluate the implementation of a music therapy program for children at a residential treatment facility for women with substance use disorders (SUDs) at Dove’s Nest, a residential facility for women with SUDs. In this facility, children can reside with their mothers during the length of treatment. We collected pre/post data from children ages 5–11 (N = 20) who attended 8 nonconsecutive music therapy sessions by asking the mothers to complete the Home and Community Social Behavior Scale (HCSBS; Merrell, K. W., & Caldarella, P. (2008). Home & Community Social Behavior Scales user’s guide. Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company). Statistical analyses showed no significant changes on individual HCSBS subscale pre–post comparisons. The total number of scale items on HCSBS flagged as areas of concern was reduced both in social competence (31 pre to 6 post or a decrease of 80.65%) and antisocial behavior (34 pre to 17 post or a decrease of 50%) scales. Evaluation results indicated that even though the children assessed may score within average ranges for social competence and antisocial behaviors, they still exhibit a high number of areas of concern at baseline, particularly in the defiant/disruptive category, which warrants preventive interventions. Clinicians may need to focus on interventions that promote social integration, self-regulation, and assertiveness while addressing behaviors such as blaming and attention seeking.

Structural language, pragmatic communication, behavior, and social competence in children adopted internationally: A pilot study

ABSTRACTThe objectives of this study were to examine the association of structural language and pragmatic communication with behavior problems and social competence in girls adopted internationally. Participants included girls between 6–12 years of age who were internationally adopted from China (n = 32) and Eastern-Europe (n = 25) and a control group of never-adopted girls (n = 25). Children completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Parents completed the Child Communication Checklist- second edition, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. Compared to the controls, parents in the Eastern European group reported more problems with social competence, externalizing behaviors, structural language, and pragmatic communication. The Chinese group evidenced more internalizing problems. Using generalized linear regression, interaction terms were examined to determine if the associations of pragmatic communication and structural language with behavior problems and social competence varied across groups. Controlling for general intellectual functioning, poorer pragmatic communication was associated with more externalizing problems and poorer social competence. In the Chinese group, poorer pragmatic communication was associated with more internalizing problems. Post-adoption weaknesses in pragmatic communication are associated with behavior problems and social competence. Internationally adopted children may benefit from interventions that target pragmatic communication.

Social Competence of Adolescents in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACTWhile substance use disorder (SUD) is a multifaceted problem stemming from both genetic and non-genetic factors, one of the factors that might influence substance use in adolescents is their ability to interact effectively and build healthy relationships with others. Social competence is both a protective factor against SUD and, in its deficiency, a risk factor for SUD. To explore the link between social competence and SUD, the current study aimed to measure the social competence of residents of a youth treatment center and to compare the results to those of a normed sample. Addiction counselors completed the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS) on 54 youths in residential addiction treatment. Results showed that males were significantly more likely than females to be in the “at risk” category for social competence and, in particular, for peer relations. Implications for treatment are discussed.

Intelligence, Attention, and Behavioral Outcomes in Internationally Adopted Girls with a History of Institutionalization

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of neurocognitive functioning with internalizing and externalizing problems and school and social competence in children adopted internationally. Method: Participants included girls between the ages of 6–12 years who were internationally adopted from China (n = 32) or Eastern Europe (n = 25) and a control group of never-adopted girls (n = 25). Children completed the Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning subtests from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and the Score! and Sky Search subtests from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. Results: Compared to the controls, the Eastern European group evidenced significantly more problems with externalizing behaviors and school and social competence and poorer performance on measures of verbal intelligence, perceptual reasoning, and auditory attention. More internalizing problems were reported in the Chinese group compared to the controls. Using generalized linear regression, interaction terms were examined to determine whether the associations of neurocognitive functioning with behavior varied across groups. Eastern European group status was associated with more externalizing problems and poorer school and social competence, irrespective of neurocognitive test performance. In the Chinese group, poorer auditory attention was associated with more problems with social competence. Conclusions: Neurocognitive functioning may be related to behavior in children adopted internationally. Knowledge about neurocognitive functioning may further our understanding of the impact of early institutionalization on post-adoption behavior.

The Relationship Between Friendship Quality and Antisocial Behavior of Adolescents in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

This exploratory study aimed to measure antisocial tendencies and friendship quality of adolescents in residential substance abuse treatment and to compare the findings to the general population for this age group. Fifty-four adolescents completed Bukowski, Hoza, and Boivin's (1994) Friendship Quality Scale and their counselor completed the antisocial measures of Merrell and Caldarella's (2002) Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. As anticipated, the sample exhibited significantly more antisocial behavior; however, they also reported similar levels of positive and negative friendship quality compared with other adolescent populations. Implications for substance abuse treatment are discussed.

An Investigation of Relationships Between Social Behavior and ADHD in Children and Youth

This article describes two related studies focusing on the relationship of social behavior and ADHD characteristics of children and youth.The primary purpose of these studies was to empirically investigate the construct validity of the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS), a new behavior rating scale for use by parents in assessing social and antisocial behavior of children and youth. A secondary purpose was to examine in detail relationships between ADHD characteristics and social behavior in children. Results of these studies indicated that as ADHD symptoms increased, antisocial behaviors increased and positive social behavior decreased. Overall, the results indicated an exceptionally strong link between social behavior and ADHD, and provide strong evidence in support of the validity of the HCSBS. Practical applications of these findings are discussed.

Validity of the home and community social behavior scales: Comparisons with five behavior‐rating scales

AbstractThree separate studies focusing on convergent and discriminant validity evidence for the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales are presented. The HCSBS is a 65‐item social behavior‐rating scale for use by parents and caretakers of children and youth ages 5–18. It is a parent‐rating version of the School Social Behavior Scales. Within these studies, relationships with five behavior‐rating scales were examined: the Social Skills Rating System, Conners Parent Rating Scale–Revised‐Short Form, Child Behavior Checklist, and the child and adolescent versions of the Behavior Assessment System for Children. HCSBS Scale A, Social Competence, evidenced strong positive correlations with measures of social skills and adaptability, strong negative correlations with measures of externalizing behavior problems, and modest negative correlations with measures of internalizing and atypical behavior problems. HCSBS Scale B, Antisocial Behavior, evidenced strong positive correlations with measures of externalizing behavior problems, modest positive correlations with measures of internalizing and atypical behavior problems, and strong negative correlations with measures of social skills and adaptability. These results support the HCSBS as a measure of social competence and antisocial behavior of children and youth. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Social and Antisocial Behavior of Children with Learning and Behavioral Disorders: Construct Validity of the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales

Construct validity of the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales, a home version of the School Social Behavior Scales, was examined by investigating its sensitivity to theoretically based group differences. This instrument was designed to provide information regarding parents' (and other home-based raters') perceptions of child and adolescent social behavior in home and community settings. Social behavior of 180 children, ages 6 to 12, was rated by a parent. Sixty of these children had emotional-behavioral disorders, 60 had learning disabilities, and 60 were general education students without any disabilities. Significant differences were found in the ratings of the three groups. Children with emotional-behavioral disorders were rated lowest on social competence and highest on antisocial behavior; general education students were rated highest on social competence and lowest on antisocial behavior; and children with learning disabilities were rated in between these two groups in both areas. The results of this investigation are discussed in terms of future research and clinical applications for social behavior assessment of children and youth.

Social-Behavioral Assessment of At-Risk Early Adolescent Students: Psychometric Characteristics and Validity of a Parent Report Form of the School Social Behavior Scales

The purposes of this investigation were to examine the validity of the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS) for differentiating at-risk and non-at-risk stu dents in grades 6 through 9 and to evaluate psychometric characteristics of this instru ment. Parent ratings of social competence and antisocial behavior on the HCSBS for a group of 160 students who were part of an at-risk pre vention project were compared with those of 107 typical non-at-risk students. These students were all in grades 6 through 9, and the groups were relatively similar in terms of demographic characteristics. The at-risk group was rated as having significantly lower social competence and significantly higher rates of antisocial behavior than the non-at-risk group (p < .0001). Power analyses indicated that these group differences ranged from approximately 1½ to 1 3/4 standard deviations. Item level HCSBS scores were also shown to correctly clas sify the students into their respective groups with a great deal of accuracy (92.37% overall). Internal consistency coefficients of the two HCSBS scales were uniformly high (in the mid .90 range). These results provide new and use ful evidence regarding the significant social behavior problems exhibited by at-risk stu dents, as well as preliminary evidence of the validity and usefulness of the HCSBS. Implications for further research and psychoe ducational assessment practice are discussed.

Cross Informant Comparisons of the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales and the School Social Behavior Scales

The importance of obtaining information regarding social behavior in differing social environments was examined through the use of the School Social Behavior Scales and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. These instruments were designed to provide information regarding student's social behavior in the school and home settings, respectively. Social behavior of 122 students in grades 6-8 who participated in a prevention program for behaviorally at-risk youth was rated by a parent, general education teacher and at-risk program teacher. Parents and special program teachers of the at-risk students were more likely to provide positive ratings of the student's behaviors than their general education teachers. Parents and general education teachers also rated students higher in negative or antisocial behaviors than the at-risk program teachers. Internal consistency coefficients for the Social Competence and Antisocial Behavior scales of the two measures were .95 or higher across all three raters. Correlations between raters were generally low. It is proposed that the low correlations between raters are the result of situational differences.