Measures Of Behavior Problems Research Articles

Adolescent behavioral problems, preterm/low birth weight children and adult life success in a prospective Australian birth cohort study

BackgroundPreterm and/or low birthweight (PT/LBW) is predictive of a range of adverse adult outcomes, including lower employment, educational attainment, and mental wellbeing, and higher welfare receipt. Existing studies, however, on PT/LBW and adult psychosocial risks are often limited by low statistical power. Studies also fail to examine potential child or adolescent pathways leading to later adult adversity. Using a life course framework, we examine how adolescent problem behaviors may moderate the association between PT/LBW and a multidimensional measure of life success at age 30 to potentially address these limitations. MethodsWe analyze 2044 respondents from a Brisbane, Australia cohort followed from birth in1981–1984 through age 30. We examine moderation patterns using obstetric birth outcomes for weight and gestation, measures of problem behaviors from the Child Behavioral Checklist at age 14, and measures of educational attainment and life success at 30 using multivariable normal and ordered logistic regression. ResultsAssociations between PT/LBW and life success was found to be moderated by adolescent problem behaviors in six scales, including CBCL internalizing, externalizing, and total problems (all p < 0.01). In comparison, associations between LBW and educational attainment illustrate how a single-dimensional measure may yield null results. ConclusionFor PT/LBW, adolescent problem behaviors increase risk of lower life success at age 30. Compared to analysis of singular outcomes, the incorporation of multidimensional measures of adult wellbeing, paired with identification of risk and protective factors for adult life success as children develop over the lifespan, may further advance existing research and interventions for PT/LBW children.

Validation of a Korean Version of the Short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale for Children.

Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct that plays an important role in various problem behaviors in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to validate a Korean version of the short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale for Children. Participants were 330 children (166 female) from 2 elementary schools in Korea and 94 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children (23 female) from two major hospitals. The Korean short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale for Children (UPPS-P-C) (20 items), Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6-18 (CBCL 6-18), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) were administered. 107 children from the control group were retested 6 months later. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) conducted in the control group supported a 5-factor hierarchical model in which 1) positive and negative urgency factors are loaded on a higher-order factor of general urgency; 2) lack of perseveration and lack of premeditation factors are loaded on a higher-order factor of lack of conscientiousness; and 3) sensation seeking remained as a separate dimension. Reliability analysis demonstrated that the 5 factors of the Korean short UPPS-P-C had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Lack of premeditation and lack of perseveration subscales showed significant correlations with measures of problem behaviors in CBCL and all the subscales were correlated with the BIS-11. The ADHD group showed significantly higher scores in lack of premeditation, lack of perseveration, positive urgency, and negative urgency subscales. This study indicates that the Korean version of short UPPS-P-C has adequate reliability and validity. It may be a valid tool to assess impulsivity of healthy children as well as ADHD.

Prospective Associations Between Boys' Substance Use and Problem Behavior Histories and Their Facial Trustworthiness in Adulthood

Introduction: People whose faces look untrustworthy tend to receive harsher social evaluations, including more severe criminal sentences. Yet little is known about how much facial trustworthiness reflects individuals' behavioral histories. We examined whether adolescent histories of delinquency and substance use predict strangers' perceptions of young men's facial trustworthiness. Methods: Boys (n = 206) recruited from schools with higher juvenile crime rates were assessed repeatedly from ages 10–24 years, including arrest records and self-reported delinquency and substance use. Coders blind to the study's purpose rated participants' facial trustworthiness from photographs taken at ages 14 and 24; parent-reported childhood family income and coder ratings of attractiveness and positive affect at age 24 were considered as controls. Results: Facial trustworthiness at age 24 (but not age 14) negatively correlated with all measures of problem behavior. Yet, self-reported tobacco use occasions from ages 12–23 had the strongest association with facial trustworthiness at age 24, a relation that persisted when controlling for arrests and delinquency from ages 12–23, other substance use, family income, ratings of age-24 positive facial affect, attractiveness, and age-14 facial trustworthiness (β = −.29, 95% CI [−.42, −.15], p &lt; .001). Discussion: Although boys' early facial trustworthiness did not relate to their later problem behavior, men with histories of more delinquency and tobacco use appeared less facially trustworthy as adults. Appearance-related biases may have forensic and healthcare implications for young men. Additionally, prevention efforts could leverage information about the early impacts of tobacco use on appearance.

Language Disorders and Problem Behaviors: A Meta-analysis.

A large number of studies have shown a relationship between language disorders and problem behaviors; however, methodological differences have made it difficult to draw conclusions from this literature. To determine the overall impact of language disorders on problem behaviors in children and adolescents between the ages of birth and 18 years and to investigate the role of informant type, age, and type of problem behavior on this relationship. We searched PubMed, EBSCO, and ProQuest. Studies were included when a group of children with language disorders was compared with a group of typically developing children by using at least 1 measure of problem behavior. Effect sizes were derived from all included measures of problem behaviors from each study. We included 47 articles (63 153 participants). Meta-analysis of these studies revealed a difference in ratings of problem behaviors between children with language disorders and typically developing children of moderate size (g = 0.43; 95% confidence interval 0.34 to 0.53; P < .001). Age was entered as a moderator variable, and results showed that the difference in problem behavior ratings increases with child age (increase in g for each additional year in age = 0.06; 95% confidence interval 0.02 to 0.11; P = .004). There was considerable heterogeneity in the measures of problem behaviors used across studies. Children with language disorders display greater rates of problem behaviors compared with their typically developing peers, and this difference is more pronounced in older children.

Parenting and children's representations of family predict disruptive and callous-unemotional behaviors.

Data from a large prospective longitudinal study (n = 1,239) was used to investigate the association between observed sensitive parenting in early childhood and children's representations of family relationships as measured by the Family Drawing Paradigm (FDP) in first grade as well as the extent to which these representations partially mediate the influences of early caregiving experiences on later conduct problems and callous-unemotional behaviors. A structural equation modeling approach revealed that less sensitive parenting at 24, 36, and 58 months predicts higher levels of conduct problems (CP) and callous-unemotional (CU) behaviors in first grade controlling for earlier measures of CP and CU behaviors. Results also indicated that greater dysfunctional family representations, as assessed with the FDP, are significantly associated with higher CU behaviors in the first grade, but not CP. Finally, a test of the indirect pathway suggests that children's dysfunctional family representations may, in part, account for the association between sensitive parenting and CU behaviors.

Parallel mediation effects by sleep on the parental warmth-problem behavior links: evidence from national probability samples of Georgian and Swiss adolescents.

Previous research has documented the importance of parenting on adolescent health and well-being; however, some of the underlying mechanisms that link the quality of parent-child relationship to health, adjustment, and well-being are not clearly understood. The current study seeks to address this gap by examining the extent to which sleep functioning mediates the effects by parental warmth on different measures of adolescent problem behaviors. Specifically, we test whether sleep functioning, operationalized by sleep quality and sleep quantity, mediates the relationship between the parental warmth and three measures of problem behaviors, namely alcohol use, illegal drug use, and deviance, in two nationally representative samples of Georgian (N = 6,992; M = 15.83, 60% females, and Swiss (N = 5,575; M = 17.17, 50% females) adolescents. Based on tests for parallel mediating effects by sleep functioning of parental warmth on problem behaviors in the MEDIATE macro in SPSS, the findings provided evidence that both sleep quality and sleep quantity independently and cumulatively mediated the effects of parental warmth on each of the three problem behaviors in both samples, with one exception. These results highlight the salience of positive parenting on sleep functioning among teens in two different cultural contexts, and, in turn, on measures of problem behaviors.

Applying Problem Behavior Theory in a Developing Arabic Country

The current study tested the applicability of Jessor’s Problem Behavior Theory in explaining problem behavior among adolescents in Egypt. Data were collected from 887 adolescents (52% males) with a mean age of 13.4 years. Participants rated three measures of problem behaviors (delinquent behavior, cigarette smoking, and problem substance use), three types of psychosocial protection (models protection, controls protection, and support protection), and three types of psychosocial risk (models risk, opportunity risk, and vulnerability risk). Female adolescents reported lower levels of problem behavior involvement than male adolescents. Psychosocial protective and risk factors accounted for significant variation in adolescents’ problem behavior involvement. For males, models risk was the most important risk factor in problem behavior involvement variation, whereas for females, opportunity risk was the most important risk factor. Present findings are useful in understanding problem behavior involvement among Egyptian youth and informing the design of interventions to reduce problem behavior.

Maternal Reports of Play Dates of Clinic Referred and Community Children

Recent interventions have focused upon play dates as a means to improve friendships. However, no measures have been published which quantify play date quality. An important characteristic of play dates in this regard may be the amount of conflict. We present the development of such a measure. We compare maternal reports of play dates for 112 community subjects with 48 subjects referred for peer problems (mean age = 8.7 years). We found that clinic–referred subjects had significantly fewer hosted and invited play dates than the community subjects. The mean conflict on play dates was significantly lower for the community subjects than for the clinic-referred subjects. We obtained significant correlations between conflict on play dates and measures of problem behaviors. Our results support the position that conflict on play dates is an important area to target in social skills training programs. The scale may prove useful to clinicians and researchers by facilitating screening and assessing interventions directed towards improving play dates.

The Structure of Problem Behavior in a Sample of Maltreated Youths

Studies of adolescent community samples suggest that substance use, risky sexual behavior, delinquency, and other problem behaviors can be explained in part by a single, underlying factor or syndrome. Of current interest is the generalizability of these findings to subgroups or special populations of youths who may be at high risk for problem behavior. Studies suggest that maltreated youths are at significantly elevated risk for involvement in multiple problem behaviors, but little is known about the structure of problem behavior in this high-risk population. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the structure of problem behavior (that is, delinquency, substance use, and risky sexual behavior) in a sample of 149 youths with a history of abuse and neglect. It also extended current research by including a measure of self-destructive behavior. Findings indicated that a single-factor model provided a close fit for these data and compared favorably with three competing two-factor models. The single factor explained 54% of the variance in the four measures of problem behavior. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis indicated that delinquency and substance use had consistently high loadings for both male and female youths, whereas the loadings for sexual and self-destructive behaviors differed by gender.

The Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Substance Use and Negative Activity Involvement among Monoracial and Multiracial Adolescents of the Southwest

This study examined predictors of substance use and negative activity involvement among a diverse sample of European American, African American, Hispanic, Native American, and multiracial early adolescents (n = 749) living in a large urban city in the Southwest United States. This study investigated a broad set of predictor variables that tap sociodemographic, peer, family, community, and school influences. Overall, findings from this study confirm that lifetime substance use remains high among youth of color. Of particular concern is this study's finding that multiracial adolescents are at elevated risk to use substances and engage in negative activities. The implications of this study for understanding how risk factors are influenced by race and other variables on different measures of problem behavior are discussed.

Direct and Collateral Effects of the First Step to Success Program

First Step to Success is a multicomponent behavioral program for at-risk children who show signs of antisocial behavior at the point of school entry. The program incorporates behavioral intervention techniques, including praise and feedback, positive reinforcement, social skills training, teacher and parent collaboration, and time-out/response cost. First Step to Success also incorporates techniques to encourage adaptive behavior across the school day and in the home, such as sequential application of the program across the school day, delayed reinforcement at home for school performance, and parent education. This study employed a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate previous research findings on the program. All children improved on measures of problem behavior, academic engaged time, and teacher ratings of behavioral adjustment. The authors extended prior research by assessing the collateral effects of the program on classroom peer and teacher behavior. Positive changes were found for both peer and teacher behavior.

Examining Relationships Between Measures of Positive Behaviors and Negative Functioning for Elementary School Children

The positive psychology movement seeks to understand student strengths that may facilitate success or promote resilience. However, a positive psychology view is not intended to completely ignore negative factors that may be affecting children, so traditional assessments of mental illness remain important. As methods of assessment improve and enhance our understanding of student development, it is crucial to understand the interrelationship among strength-based and traditional — problem-based — measures. Utilizing a sample of third- and fourth-grade students, the current study examined the interrelationships between three measures of positive functioning, examining hope, life satisfaction, and school connectedness, and their relationship with a traditional, problem-based measure. Results demonstrated that the measures assessing positive constructs were significantly positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with a measure of problem behaviors. Future directions for research, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.

A Test of Jessor's Problem Behavior Theory in a Eurasian and a Western European Developmental Context

Purpose The current study tested the applicability of Jessor's problem behavior theory (PBT) in national probability samples from Georgia and Switzerland. Comparisons focused on (1) the applicability of the problem behavior syndrome (PBS) in both developmental contexts, and (2) on the applicability of employing a set of theory-driven risk and protective factors in the prediction of problem behaviors. Methods School-based questionnaire data were collected from n = 18,239 adolescents in Georgia (n = 9499) and Switzerland (n = 8740) following the same protocol. Participants rated five measures of problem behaviors (alcohol and drug use, problems because of alcohol and drug use, and deviance), three risk factors (future uncertainty, depression, and stress), and three protective factors (family, peer, and school attachment). Final study samples included n = 9043 Georgian youth (mean age = 15.57; 58.8% females) and n = 8348 Swiss youth (mean age = 17.95; 48.5% females). Data analyses were completed using structural equation modeling, path analyses, and post hoc z-tests for comparisons of regression coefficients. Results Findings indicated that the PBS replicated in both samples, and that theory-driven risk and protective factors accounted for 13% and 10% in Georgian and Swiss samples, respectively in the PBS, net the effects by demographic variables. Follow-up z-tests provided evidence of some differences in the magnitude, but not direction, in five of six individual paths by country. Conclusion PBT and the PBS find empirical support in these Eurasian and Western European samples; thus, Jessor's theory holds value and promise in understanding the etiology of adolescent problem behaviors outside of the United States.

Effects of Methylphenidate and Behavior Modification on the Social and Academic Behavior of Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders: The Moderating Role of Callous/Unemotional Traits

This study examined whether response to behavior modification with and without methylphenidate differed for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct problems (CP) depending on the presence of callous/unemotional (CU) traits. Participants were 37 children ages 7 to 12, including 19 with ADHD/CP-only and 18 with ADHD/CP-CU, referred to a university-based summer treatment program. Results showed that ADHD/CP-CU children had worse behavior in the behavior-therapy-only (BT-only) condition, especially on measures of CP, noncompliance, and rule violations, but these differences largely disappeared when medication was added to BT. Children with ADHD/CP-CU were also less likely to be normalized by treatment than were children with ADHD/CP-only. These findings, though tentative, suggest that children with ADHD/CP-CU may not show a sufficient positive response to BT alone and that the combination of medication and BT may be especially important for them.

Who Are the Young Children for Whom Best Practices in Reading Are Ineffective?

The primary purpose of this study was to identify student characteristics that reliably predict responsiveness and nonresponsiveness to generally effective early literacy interventions. Participants were 104 children, including 7 with special needs and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), who were tested in kindergarten and first grade. Responsiveness/nonresponsiveness status was determined after 2 years during which children participated in best practice instruction (a) in kindergarten and first grade, (b) in kindergarten only, (c) in first grade only, or (d) in neither year. This facilitated the study of three groups. Always responsive students met responsiveness criteria in both years. Sometimes responsive students met the criteria in only one year. Nonresponsive students did not meet the criteria in either year. Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis indicated that the three groups were reliably different from one another on measures of problem behavior, verbal memory, sentence imitation, syntactic awareness, vocabulary, naming speed, and segmentation. A combination of naming speed, vocabulary, sentence imitation, problem behavior, and amount of intervention correctly predicted 82.1% of nonresponsive students, 30.0% of sometimes responsive students, and 84.1% of always responsive students. Fifty students from kindergarten and first grade were tested again at the end of what should have been their third-grade year. All but 1 of the nonresponsive students who received intervention had been identified as requiring special education and had an IEP with reading goals.

The Overlooked Role of Deficit or Non-Productive Behaviors in Traditional Assessment of Long-Term Care Residents

Most instruments that examine long-term care residents' problem behavior assess only productive behaviors that require immediate behavioral management (e.g., kicking, wandering, screaming). However, it was hypothesized that the deficit or non-productive problem behaviors of older adults in long-term care (e.g., social withdrawal, excessive sleeping, and not eating) may be as problematic as their more salient counterparts. A factor analysis of 561 staff members' ratings of residents on the Nursing Home Problem Behavior Scale, along with three additionally constructed items, suggests that deficit behaviors can be assessed reliably and that they account for a unique, underlying dimension in problem behavior. After controlling for level of burnout, caregivers associated more unfavorable attitudes with residents' deficit, than with certain productive (e.g., irrational and annoying), behaviors. Recommendations are made to include deficit behaviors in traditional measures of problem behavior and to help professionals in long-term care become cognizant of their potentially negative impact upon care-giving.

Do Deviant Peer Associations Mediate the Contributions of Self-Esteem to Problem Behavior During Early Adolescence? A 2-Year Longitudinal Study

We investigated deviant peer associations as a mediator of the influences of general and peer-oriented self-esteem on problem behavior using data from a 2-year longitudinal study of 350 young adolescents. Measures of problem behavior included substance use (alcohol use, smoking) and antisocial behavior (fighting, stealing). Using latent growth curve modeling and covariance structure analysis, an extension of a model proposed by DuBois et al. (2002) was evaluated for each type of problem behavior. Findings revealed that lower general self-esteem and greater peer orientation in self-esteem each predicted deviant associations with peers and that deviant peer associations, in turn, were associated with higher levels and rates of change in problem behavior. Deviant peer associations mediated the associations of general and peer-oriented self-esteem with levels and rates of change in problem behavior such that direct paths from self-esteem to problem behavior generally were nonsignificant.

The relationship between childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and conduct problems and adult psychopathy in male inmates

Two categories of childhood problems frequently implicated in the development of adult psychopathy are conduct problems (CP) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Three perspectives regarding the relationship between childhood symptomatology and adult antisocial outcomes were examined: the conduct-problem mediation, the independent prediction, and the comorbid subtype positions. Relationships between self-report measures of childhood CP and ADHD and interviewer-rated psychopathy scores (PCL-R) were examined for 275 Caucasian and African-American male inmates. Although both childhood CP and ADHD were associated with PCL-R Total and Antisocial Lifestyle (Factor 2) ratings, the influence of ADHD was largely mediated by CP. Although there was evidence for a slight independent contribution of ADHD to the antisocial lifestyle aspects of psychopathy, there was little evidence congruent with the comorbid subtype position: The higher psychopathy ratings of individuals in the comorbid group relative to those of other groups appeared attributable to additive rather than interactive influences of childhood CP and ADHD. Finally, neither set of childhood symptoms was helpful in understanding core emotional/interpersonal aspects of psychopathy (Factor 1).

Peer Leadership in School and Community Alcohol Use Prevention Activities

This article describes two major peer leadership components of the first phase of Project Northland, a prevention trial using multilevel community-wide strategies to prevent alcohol use and alcohol-related problems among youth. The intervention programs target Class of 1998 students, and began when they were in sixth grade. Described are (1) two peer leadership interventions implemented when the cohort was in seventh and eighth grades, (2) the students involved with the peer leadership activities, and (3) the association between involvement in peer leadership activities and tendency toward alcohol use following involvement, at the end of seventh and eighth grades. Students were elected by their classmates to lead the seventh grade alcohol use prevention curriculum. In addition, students had the opportunity to volunteer as peer leaders to plan alcohol-free activities during their seventh- and eighth-grade years. At baseline both types of peer leaders generally were lower on measures of problem behaviors. However, following involvement in the seventh grade curriculum, tendency to use alcohol was higher among the elected peer leaders (n = 142) compared with other students in the intervention schools. These findings suggest important issues for future research on the early use of alcohol among social leaders, particularly those involved in prevention programs.

Inhalant use and delinquent behavior among adolescents: a comparison of inhalant users and other drug users.

To evaluate the association between inhalant use and delinquent or criminal behavior. A large statewide sample of high school students participated in a survey on drug use. Five groups were identified based on reported drug use: inhalant experimenters, other drug experimenters, inhalant users, other drug users and non-users. Inhalant users were compared with other drug users and inhalant experimenters with other drug experimenters on three measures of problem behavior. Over 13,000 students in grades 7-12 participated in the 1993 survey on drug use. Three measures of problem behavior: drinking and drug-taking, "trouble behavior" and minor criminal activity. Among upper (9-12) grade level students only, both inhalant users and inhalant experimenters reported more minor criminal activity than other drug users and other drug experimenters, respectively. A similar trend was noted for trouble behavior. The same was not found for drinking and drug-taking behavior. The findings suggest that inhalant use is categorically different from other drug use, and that it has more in common with general delinquency than with general drug use. Prevention and treatment strategies should take this into consideration.