Rates Of Behavior Problems Research Articles

Classroom academic and social context: relationships among emergent literacy, behavioural functioning and teacher curriculum goals in kindergarten

The teaching beliefs and classroom practices of 54 kindergarten teachers were assessed using a Q‐sort measure. Cluster analysis of the Q‐sort responses revealed four instructional approaches that differed in their focus on literacy skills, social development and self‐esteem. In addition, measures of emergent literacy skills, classroom behaviour and peer relationships were obtained for 162 low‐income children attending these kindergarten classrooms. Children in classrooms emphasising emergent literacy skills demonstrated greater mastery of such skills than did children in classrooms emphasising social development. Moreover, literacy skill‐focused teachers also reported fewer disruptive behaviour and peer problems among these children. These findings highlight the importance of integrating an emphasis on emergent literacy development into kindergarten curricula for promoting literacy development among low‐income children, and also suggest that children’s rates of problem behaviour may vary under different curricular approaches.

The association of fatty acid deficiency symptoms (FADS) with actual essential fatty acid status in cheek cells

Seven clinical symptoms have been utilised in several studies as a means of potentially identifying children with a deficiency in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there was any correlation between parental reports of the frequency of these seven ‘fatty acid deficiency symptoms’ (FADS) with actual levels of fatty acids in buccal cell samples of 450 children aged 8–10 years old. Additionally, the relationship between FADS and cognitive test performance, ratings of attention and behaviour and other somatic complaints were explored. The severity of reported FADS was not related to the levels of omega-6 or omega-3 in buccal cell samples. There was a relationship between parental reports of child behaviour and reported FADS; with high FADS being related to higher ratings of behaviour problems. Using FADS as a marker of PUFA deficiency may not be appropriate especially when assessing typically developing children.

The Forgotten Treasure: Bilingualism and Asian Children's Emotional and Behavioral Health

We investigated the relation between the language status of children and their behavioral and emotional well-being during their early school years. Behavioral and emotional well-being were drawn from teacher-reported data and included externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Three-level growth curve analyses were conducted on a subsample (n = 12 586) of children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, kindergarten cohort, who originated from Asian countries. US-born, non-Hispanic White children served as the comparison group. All children started with a similar level of internalizing and externalizing behaviors at kindergarten entry. The growth rate of problem behaviors was slowest in fluent bilingual and non-English-dominant bilingual children compared with White English-monolingual children. By contrast, problem behaviors increased at a significantly faster rate in non-English-monolingual children, who had the highest level of problem behaviors among all children by fifth grade. By fifth grade, fluent bilingual and non-English-dominant bilingual children had the lowest levels of internalizing and externalizing behaviors, whereas non-English-monolingual children had the highest levels of both behavior problems. Our data suggest emotional and behavioral benefits of being bilingual.

The effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on problem behavior in children 4–10 years

BackgroundChildren prenatally exposed to cocaine may be at increased risk for behavioral problems due to disruptions of monaminergically regulated arousal systems and/or environmental conditions. ObjectiveTo assess behavioral outcomes of cocaine (CE) and non-cocaine-exposed (NCE) children, 4 through 10years old, controlling for other prenatal drug exposures and environmental factors. MethodsLow socioeconomic status (SES), primarily African American children (n=381 (193 (CE), 188 (NCE)) were recruited from birth. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) analyses were used to assess the predictive relationship of prenatal cocaine exposure to odds of caregiver reported clinically elevated behavioral problems at 4, 6, 9 and 10years of age, controlling for confounders. ResultsPrenatal cocaine exposure was associated with increased rates of caregiver reported delinquency (OR=1.93, CI: 1.09–3.42, p<0.02). A significant prenatal cocaine exposure by sex interaction was found for delinquency indicating that only females were affected (OR=3.57, CI: 1.67–7.60, p<0.001). There was no effect of cocaine on increased odds of other CBCL subscales. Higher prenatal tobacco exposure was associated with increased odds of externalizing symptoms at 4, 9 and 10years of age. For CE children, those in foster or adoptive care were rated as having more behavior problems than those in biologic mother or relative care. Greater caregiver psychological distress was associated with increased behavioral problems. There were no independent effects of elevated blood lead level on increased behavior problems after control for prenatal drug exposure and other environmental conditions. ConclusionPrenatal cocaine and tobacco exposure were associated with greater externalizing behavior after control for multiple prenatal drug exposures, other environmental and caregiving factors and lead exposure from 4 through 10years of age. Greater caregiver psychological distress negatively affected caregiver ratings of all CBCL domains. Since cocaine and tobacco use during pregnancy and maternal psychological distress have the potential to be altered through prenatal educational, drug treatment and mental health interventions, they warrant attention in efforts to reduce rates of problem behaviors in children.

Cross-informant agreement for ratings for social skill and problem behavior ratings: An investigation of the Social Skills Improvement System—Rating Scales.

One of the most consistent findings in rating scale research with children and adolescents is the modest agreement among different informants' ratings. The present study systematically explored patterns of agreement among teachers, parents/caregivers, and students in domains of social skills and problem behaviors using the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS; F. M. Gresham & S. N. Elliott, 2008). Two subsamples from the normative sample of the SSIS-RS were used. The first sample of participants consisted of 168 students who had all 3 informants (parent, teacher, and self) complete the SSIS-RS scales, which was necessary to assess agreement across different raters. The second sample consisted of 164 students who had raters in a similar or same role (father-mother, teacher-teacher). The results replicated an extensive literature showing that cross-informant agreements for social skills and problem behaviors are weak to moderate. The current study invoked multitrait-multimethod logic to interpret the correlations among raters derived from different informants and showed that the convergent validity coefficients were consistently stronger than the discriminant validity correlations. Implications for assessment practices and future research are discussed.

Behavioural and Emotional Problems in Iranian Children Four Years After Parental Death in an Earthquake

Although previous research has established a direct impact of natural disasters on child mental health, there is limited knowledge on the underpinning mechanisms, particularly when there has been the loss of a parent. To establish: (a) the rates of behavioural and emotional problems of school-aged children who had lost their parents in the 2003 earthquake in Iran, compared with children from intact families who attended the same schools; (b) the relationship between the psychopathology of the surviving parents' and children's behavioural and emotional problems; and (c) whether this relationship was compounded by socioeconomic factors. Eighty six children of 7-13 years who had lost a parent in the earthquake four years earlier were compared with 80 matched children from intact families. The teacher and parent versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used as measures of behavioural and emotional problems. Parents' psychopathology was established by the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ). Behavioural and emotional problems were significantly higher in children who had suffered parental loss than in the control group. There was a significant association between parent-rated SDQ and SRQ scores. Parental death was found to interact with socioeconomic variables in predicting children's behavioural and emotional problems and surviving parents' mental health problems. After natural disasters, bereaved children and their surviving parents are at risk of developing mental health problems, and social adversities increase this risk.

Research trends in descriptive analysis.

Descriptive analysis involves the direct observation of target behavior in natural (or naturalistic) contexts to gather information on contiguous and potentially relevant environmental events, in the absence of experimental manipulation. That is, descriptive analyses identify events that are correlated with the occurrence of some target response. Descriptive analysis is commonly used as a part of a comprehensive functional assessment of problem behavior, prior to conducting an experimental functional analysis. Several advantages of descriptive analysis have been noted in the literature. First, because descriptive analyses involve direct observation of behavior in the natural environment, they provide a means to gather baseline rates of problem behavior. These rates may be useful to determine treatment efficacy once an intervention is developed and implemented. Second, the direct observation aspect of descriptive analyses may be useful in developing operational definitions of behavior, rather than relying on verbal report of caregivers. Third, descriptive analyses may be helpful in identifying particular antecedents or consequences to incorporate into functional analyses. For example, certain functional analysis conditions may be added or omitted based on the common antecedent and consequent conditions observed in the natural environment. Fourth, it has been argued that descriptive analysis may be used as an assessment procedure when functional analyses are not possible due to the nature of the target behavior (e.g., extremely low rate or dangerous problem behavior). However, the use of descriptive analysis as a sole means of ascribing function to behavior is not recommended. This is because the complexity of the natural environment makes it difficult to determine which events are functionally related to the target behavior. Other potential negative aspects of using descriptive analysis to determine the function of the behavior have also been noted including the amount of time and complex data analysis necessary for a complete assessment, the correlational nature of the data, and poor validity outcomes reported in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of a variety of research areas in descriptive analysis, including suggestions of when descriptive analyses can and should be used. In addition, possible future areas of research using descriptive analysis will be discussed. Descriptive Analysis Techniques Several variations of direct observation techniques have been presented in the literature. The particular technique used affects the data presentation as well as the information that can be gleaned from the data analysis. For this reason, a brief description of the most commonly used techniques will be provided. The first technique is the scatter plot analysis, first described by Touchette, MacDonald and Langer (1985). A scatter plot analysis involves a grid data sheet with time intervals listed vertically (e.g., 30-minute intervals) and days of the week listed horizontally. The time intervals can be individually determined based on the particular individual's schedule. Caregivers record the frequency of behavior throughout the day by appropriately marking the boxes of the grid. For example, the nonoccurrence of behavior may be represented by leaving the box blank, low-rates of behavior may be represented by filling in the box with hatch marks, and high-rates of behavior may be represented by filling in the box. Data from scatter plots are typically expressed in terms of percent of intervals with the target behavior. After several days or weeks of data collection, it may be possible to observe patterns of behavior which can be tied to specific activities or times of the day. The advantages of scatter plot analyses may include ease of data collection and estimates of the occurrence of behavior both before and after intervention. Yet, few research studies have used scatter plot analyses, and when they have been conducted, there have been mixed results. …

Emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents with intellectual disability with and without chronic diseases

Adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) (ID-adolescents) and adolescents with chronic diseases are both more likely to have emotional and behavioural problems. The aim of this study was to assess the association between chronic diseases in ID-adolescents and emotional and behavioural problems in a large school-based sample. We obtained data on 1044 ID-adolescents, aged 12-18 years, attending secondary schools in the Netherlands. Parents of the adolescents completed the Dutch version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and questions about chronic diseases in their child and about the background of the child. Prevalence rates of emotional and behavioural problems were generally high in ID-adolescents with chronic diseases (45%), compared with ID-adolescents without chronic diseases (17%). The likelihood of emotional and behavioural problems was high in ID-adolescents with two [odds ratios (OR) 4.47; 95% CI: 2.97-6.74] or more than two chronic diseases (OR 8.01; 95% CI: 5.18-12.39) and for ID-adolescents with mental chronic diseases (OR 4.56; 95% CI: 3.21-6.47). Also ID-adolescents with somatic chronic diseases had a high likelihood of emotional and behavioural problems (OR 1.99; 95% CI: 1.33-2.99), in particular in the combination of somatic and mental chronic diseases (OR 5.16; 95% CI: 3.46-7.71). The current study showed that chronic diseases in ID-adolescents, in particular mental chronic diseases, largely increase the likelihood of emotional and behavioural problems. This should be taken in the provision and planning of care for ID-adolescents.

Prevalence and Patterns of Alcohol Consumption and Health‐Risk Behaviors Among High School Students in Thailand

Underage drinking is a significant social and public health problem in Thailand. We report the prevalence and patterns of alcohol consumption and associated health-risk behaviors using data from a 2007-2008 national school survey. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among 50,033 high school and vocational college students from 201 schools in 40 provinces between December 2007 and February 2008. The prevalence rates of past-year drinking, past-30-day binge drinking, and drinking until intoxication were 25.5, 9.5, and 17.3% in boys and 14.5, 3.7, and 7.2% in girls, respectively. Higher school levels, lower grades, living with someone other than their own parents, and having family members with substance or alcohol problems were significantly associated with all kinds of drinking. Binge drinkers were significantly more likely to have drinking consequences, e.g., driving after drinking, nausea and vomiting, and having a hangover than were nonbinge drinkers. The rates of other behavior and emotional problems were 2.5 to 6.7 times as likely in drinkers as nondrinkers, including smoking (35.1% vs. 4.9%), prescription drug misuse (17.7% vs. 6.7%), illicit substance use (17.8% vs. 2.4%), carrying a weapon (6.5% vs. 1.8%), feeling depressed (23.2% vs. 10.9%), suicidal attempt (10.5% vs. 3.8%), and sexual intercourse (30.5% vs. 5.7%). Alcohol consumption is a serious problem among adolescents in Thailand and is strongly associated with various health-risk behaviors. Effective age- and gender-specific interventions should be implemented to discourage underage drinking and associated adverse health and social consequences.

School Context and the Problem Behavior and Social Skills of Students with Emotional Disturbance

Variability in the social and behavioral characteristics of students with emotional disturbance (ED) in the public schools may impact special education effectiveness; yet very little evidence exists on how such variability may express itself from school to school. One place to begin such investigation involves school context as expressed by income level and academic performance. In this study, we selected 140 children (grades kindergarten through 6) receiving special education services for ED in schools in a large east-coast urban area. We gathered school-wide test results from state achievement testing and school poverty levels from eligibility for free or reduced lunch on each school. For each child, we collected teacher ratings of problem behavior and social skills. Findings from regression analyses revealed significant relationships between school context and children’s externalizing and internalizing behavior. We discuss the implications of these findings for the concept of ED as a unitary disability category in special education research and practice.

The Study on the Effects of Traffic Exhausts on Children’s Behavioral Problems

ISEE-0917 Objective: To explore the health effect of traffic exhausts on children’s behavioral problems by using the Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist. Methods: Three primary schools were chosen based on the counts of automobiles that passed by and the monitoring data of ambient air pollutants. All students from Grade 2 to Grade 5 were chosen as the target population and were investigated with a self-completion questionnaire as well as the Achenbach’s Child List. Finally, 1363 cases were analyzed, of whom have been local resident for more than 2 years and were in condition during investigation. Results: A total of 141 children, with the rate of 10.34%, were reported to have behavioral problems. The reported rates of behavioral problems are 9.04% in School A1, 9.77% in School A2, and 11.99% in School A3, respectively. However, there was no significant difference χ2 = 2.556, P = 0.279. The reported rate of behavioral problems in boys’ is higher than that of girls’ in all schools. Analysis of 11 behavioral problem factors showed that, the highest rates of Depression, Social withdrawal, Hyperactivity, Sexual problem, Cruelty, and Forcing were found in School A3. Single-factor analysis showed that fever experience, eye sight condition, drinking experience of children, experience of being beaten and scolded, second hand smoke exposure, drinking habit of father, occupation of parents, education level of parents, born at full-term, medical history in neonatal period, history of unhealthy pregnancy of mother, history of touching adverse factors and drinking experience of mother during pregnancy had a significant influence on the reported rate of behavioral problems. Conclusion: Traditional factors are still the main influencing factors of children's behavioral problems. Moreover, long term-low level exposure to traffic exhausts may be related to the increase in reported behavioral problems.

The Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01) in community-based adults with intellectual disabilities: Reliability and concurrent validity vis-à-vis the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP)

Reliability and concurrent validity of the Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI-01; Rojahn et al., 2001) was examined in a sample of 130 community residing adults with mild to profound intellectual disabilities with high rates of behavior problems and concurrent mental health problems. The BPI-01 and the Inventory for Client and Agency Planning (ICAP; Bruininks et al., 1986) were administered twice within a mean time interval of 7.8 weeks by 20 trained and experienced staff members. All three BPI-01 subscales had high inter-rater agreement (Self-Injurious Behavior [SIB]: mean ICC = .84; Stereotyped Behavior: mean ICC = .75; Aggressive/Destructive Behavior: mean ICC = .82), and stable test–retest reliability (SIB, mean ICC = .91; mean Stereotyped Behavior, mean ICC = .89, and Aggressive/Destructive Behavior, mean ICC = .88); internal consistency ranged from poor (SIB: α = .61) to excellent (Stereotyped Behavior, α = .90). Using the ICAP as criterion measure, the BPI-01 showed robust convergent validity. Solid relationships between BPI-01 subscales and corresponding ICAP subscales corroborated the concurrent validity of the BPI-01.

Mental health context of food insecurity: a representative cohort of families with young children.

Children from food-insecure families (ie, families that lack access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food) are at risk for developmental problems. Food insecurity disproportionately occurs among low-socioeconomic status (SES) and low-income families; however, interventions that supplement families' income or diet have not eradicated food insecurity. This may be because food insecurity is also related to nonfinancial factors such as the presence of maternal mental health problems. To clarify whether addressing mothers' mental health problems may be a promising strategy for reducing the burden of food insecurity, we tested the hypothesis that low-SES families are especially vulnerable to food insecurity when the mother experiences depression, alcohol or drug abuse, psychosis spectrum disorder, or domestic violence. We used data from a nationally representative cohort of 1116 British families (the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Study). Food insecurity, family SES, maternal mental health and exposure to domestic violence, and children's behavioral outcomes were measured by using validated methods. Overall, 9.7% of study families were food-insecure. Among low-SES families, controlling for income variation, food insecurity co-occurred with maternal depression (odds ratio [OR]: 2.82 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.62-4.93]), psychosis spectrum disorder (OR: 4.01 [95% CI: 2.03-7.94]), and domestic violence (OR: 2.36 [95% CI: 1.18-4.73]). In addition, food insecurity predicted elevated rates of children's behavior problems. Among families with young children, food insecurity is frequent, particularly when the mother experiences mental health problems. This suggests that interventions that improve women's mental health may also contribute to decreasing the burden of food insecurity and its impact on the next generation.

Functional communication during signaled reinforcement and/or extinction

AbstractSchedule thinning following functional communication training (FCT) can increase treatment feasibility. Multiple‐schedule arrangements are often used in this process; however, the current literature provides little information on the optimum signal arrangements. In the current study, we examined the effects of three signal arrangements (i.e., signaled FR1, signaled EXT, and signaled FR1/EXT) on rates of problem behavior at dense schedule values and during schedule thinning. At all schedule values, signaled FR1/EXT controlled collateral behavior better than did signaled FR1 or signaled EXT. Additionally, for the single signal arrangements, the signaled FR1 was more efficient than the signaled EXT at dense schedules whereas the inverse was true at leaner schedules. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Problem Behavior, Parental Stress and Enuresis

We determined maternal and paternal ratings of problem behavior in 5 to 13-year-old children with (non)monosymptomatic enuresis and investigated parental stress and the association between parental ratings of child behavior and parental stress. We compared problem behavior in 78 children with (non)monosymptomatic enuresis vs that in 110 without enuresis using the Child Behavior Checklist and the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale. Parental stress was measured using the Parenting Stress Index. Maternal results replicated previous findings of significantly higher Child Behavior Checklist scores for externalizing and total problems compared with those in the control group, whereas no significant differences were found for paternal ratings. Mothers and fathers of enuretic children reported significantly higher scores on the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and oppositional defiant disorder subscales than parents of children without enuresis. The Parenting Stress Index revealed significantly higher overall stress in mothers and fathers of children with (non)monosymptomatic enuresis compared with that in parents of controls. Especially parental stress related to child characteristics was associated with a greater report of child behavior problems. Each parent but especially mothers reported more problem behavior in children with (non)monosymptomatic enuresis than in controls. They also reported more stress, which correlates highly with parental ratings of problem behavior in children with (non)monosymptomatic enuresis.

Multiple Risk Behaviors Among Youth Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Five U.S. Cities

To describe multiple risk behaviors (substance use, sexual risk, and medication adherence) in a multi-site sample of youth living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in five U.S. cites. Youth (N=352) were recruited from four Adolescent Trials Network (ATN) sites (Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Baltimore, and Los Angeles) and one non-ATN site in Detroit and screened for multiple problem behaviors for an intervention study. A substance abuse problem was determined with the CRAFFT, a six-item adolescent screener. Single items were used to screen for current sexual risk and for an HIV medication adherence problem. Of the youth, 239 (68%) had at least one of the three risk behavior problems based on the screener. A total of 186 (52.8%) completed longer, in-depth questionnaires for each problem behavior. Of the 352 youth screened, 60% had problem level substance use and 42% had a sexual risk problem. Of the 165 (47%) who were prescribed medications, 91 (55%) reported an adherence problem. A total of 112 (32%) reported no problem behavior, 123 (35%) reported 1 problem behavior, 95 (27%) reported 2 problem behaviors, and 20 (6%) reported 3 problem behaviors. Males were more likely to have a substance use problem. Younger youth living with HIV and those perinatally infected were more likely to have an adherence problem. Among the 186 (52.8%) completing longer measures, those with a substance abuse problem had higher substance use on a timeline follow-back procedure than those without. Participants who screened positive for a sexual risk problem reported more unprotected sex on an in-depth interview than those without. Those who screened positive for an adherence problem had higher viral loads than those without an adherence problem. Results suggest high rates of problem behaviors among youth living with HIV, particularly in older youth. Younger and perinatally infected youth may require specialized adherence interventions. Associations between the screener and more in-depth assessment measures suggest potential clinical utility of screening youth for high-risk behaviors.

Environmental Fit

Theoretical considerations suggest that problem behavior should increase when a child’s competency does not match the curricular demands of the environment (i.e., when there is poor environmental fit). In the present study, environmental fit was examined for six children with autism spectrum disorders. Results indicated that the children exhibited high rates of problem behavior associated with poor motor or academic competency. Curricular modifications resulted in (a) a decrease in the level of problem behavior, (b) an increase in the percentage of task steps completed correctly, and (c) improved affect. Adults who worked with the children reported ease of intervention techniques. The concept of environmental fit and its usefulness in guiding both assessment of and intervention for problem behavior are discussed.

Child to adult continuities of psychopathology: a 24‐year follow‐up

To determine continuities of mental health problems of children across a 24-year follow-up period. In 1983, parent ratings of emotional and behavioral problems were collected with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in a general population sample of 2076 children. Twenty-four years later, 1365 participants completed Adult Self-Reports (ASR) to assess emotional and behavioral problems. Of the participants who were classified as deviant in childhood, 22.2% were also classified as deviant in adulthood. Both homotypic and heterotypic continuity was found. Childhood aggressive, delinquent, and anxious/depressed problems were associated with most adult psychopathology. Attention problems did not predict later problems independently. Even though assessed with parent-reports in childhood and analogous self-reports in adulthood, and over a large period of 24 years, continuity of psychopathology was found from childhood into adulthood. Anxious/depressed problems, delinquent behavior and aggressive behavior in childhood are core predictors for adult psychopathology.

Predictors of Change in Eligibility Status among Preschoolers in Special Education

Relatively little is known about the incidence of declassification among young children who receive preschool special education services or about factors associated with declassification. The Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) follows a nationally representative sample of children who were receiving preschool special education services in 2003–2004. Data from PEELS show that approximately 16% of preschoolers who received special education services stopped receiving those services, or were “declassified,” each year over a 2-year period. In a multivariate logistic regression, significant variables predicting declassification included child gender, size of the district's preschool special education program, district wealth, disability category, ratings of problem behaviors, severity of impairment, and scores on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test.

A Test of Social Disorganization Theory in High-Risk Urban Neighborhoods

Although there is a growing body of research based on social disorganization theory that relates the neighborhood context to juvenile crime and delinquency, it is unknown whether neighborhood social processes operate in a similar way across all types of disadvantaged neighborhoods. It is possible that some social processes are unique to economically depressed areas. This research attempts to explain theoretically and test empirically the relationships between neighborhood social structure, social processes, delinquent opportunity structures, and rates of adolescent delinquency among structurally disadvantaged neighborhoods. The hypotheses are tested using neighborhood-level parent and youth data from 44 Denver neighborhoods. A series of regression models are constructed to estimate the effects of the neighborhood on rates of delinquency. The results show that for this high-risk sample the most consistent predictor of rates of problem behavior is youths' perceptions of limited opportunities for the future.