The role of acquaintanceship in the perception of child behaviour problems.

The role of acquaintanceship with the child on reports of child behaviour by different informants was examined within the framework of a general theory of personality judgment. Mothers of referred children and group-care workers rated videotaped behaviour samples of a well known and an unknown child in the clinic. Independent observers also rated the videotapes. In line with the acquaintanceship hypothesis, mothers were found to perceive more behaviour problems than independent observers when rating well known children but not unknown children. Contrary to the acquaintanceship hypothesis, however, the group-care workers in our study reported more behaviour problems than the other informants regardless of their acquaintance with the children. The clinical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed.

Perceptions of problem behavior in adolescents' families: perceiver, target, and family effects.

Considerable research has focused on the reliability and validity of informant reports of family behavior, especially maternal reports of adolescent problem behavior. None of these studies, however, has based their orientation on a theoretical model of interpersonal perception. In this study we used the social relations model (SRM) to examine family members' reports of each others' externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. Two parents and two adolescents in 69 families rated each others' behavior within a round-robin design. SRM analysis showed that within-family perceptions of externalizing and internalizing behaviors are consistently due to three sources of variance; perceiver, target, and family effects. A family/contextual effect on informant reports of problem behavior has not been previously reported.

Personality, delinquency, and criminal recidivism.

This study explores the relationship between PEN profiles, delinquency, and recidivism in young offenders. According to Eysenck, personality is based on three basic Dimensions: Psychoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism (PEN-model). Eysenck states that delinquents score high on all three dimensions. A group of young male offenders in a juvenile detention center in The Netherlands were studied to test Eysenck's hypothesis, which was partially confirmed. From a cluster analysis it appear that only a small group of offenders had high scores on all three PEN dimensions. Finally, it was concluded that the PEN profiles were not able to differentiate between recidivists and nonrecidivists.

Level validity of self-report whole-family measures.

This article introduces an approach to testing the level validity of family assessment instruments (i.e., whether a family instrument measures family functioning at the level of the system it purports to assess). Two parents and 2 adolescents in 69 families rated the warmth in each of their family relationships and in the family as a whole. Family members' ratings of whole-family warmth assessed family functioning not only at the family level (i.e., characteristics of the family as a whole) but also at the individual level of analysis (i.e., characteristics of family members as raters), indicating a lack of level validity. Evidence was provided for the level validity of a latent variable based on family members' ratings of whole-family warmth. The findings underscore the importance of assessing the level validity of individual ratings of whole-family functioning.

From CBCL to DSM: a comparison of two methods to screen for DSM-IV diagnoses using CBCL data.

The screening efficiency of 2 methods to convert Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) assessment data into Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnoses was compared. The Machine-Aided Diagnosis (MAD) method converts CBCL input data directly into DSM-IV symptom criteria. The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) proceeds more indirectly and uses DSM-oriented scales. The power of the 2 methods to predict DSM-IV diagnoses obtained via administration of the structured Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV) interview in a clinical sample was examined. DISC-IV interviews and CBCL reports from parents of 44 children, 25 boys, and 19 girls, ages 6 to 17 were used. The results showed comparable levels of predictive power for the 2 methods. Both methods were able to predict DSM-IV diagnoses and therefore can be used for screening DSM-IV diagnoses.

The impact of the big five personality traits on reports of child behavior problems by different informants.

The present study compared ratings of a standardized sample of child behavior problems across informants and examined the effects of informant personality traits on child behavior ratings by mothers, teachers, and group-care workers. Participants were 55 clinic-referred children, aged 6-12 years. All informants watched and rated the same 17-min videotaped behavior sample of a familiar target child. Independent trained observers rated the same videotapes to provide criterion ratings. Informants' personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five Factor Personality Inventory. Results showed that mothers reported fewer behavior problems than did the professionals, that the informants who were familiar with the child reported more behavior problems than did the independent observers, and that higher levels of informant neuroticism were related to higher ratings of child behavior problems in the case of the professionals, but not in the case of the mothers. In addition, group-care workers who were less extraverted and open were likely to report more child behavior problems than group-care workers with normal levels of extraversion and openness. Finally, no relations were found between agreeableness or conscientiousness and ratings of child behavior. Findings suggest that professionals who work with children are not immune to distortions based on their own personality.

Current and recollected perceptions of family relationships: the social relations model approach applied to members of three generations.

Data from 81 three-generation families (comprising 567 participants) were analyzed to assess perceptions of current-family and family-of-origin relationships. The dimensions studied (Restrictiveness, Justice, Affection, and Trust) were derived from the family systems theories as developed by Boszormenyi-Nagy (I. Boszormenyi-Nagy & B. R. Krasner, 1986; I. Boszormenyi-Nagy & G. Spark, 1984; I. Boszormenyi-Nagy & D. N. Ulrich, 1981) and Stierlin (H. Stierlin, 1974, 1978; H. Stierlin, I. Rucker-Embden, N. Wetzel, & M. Wirsching, 1980). The social relations model (SRM) was used to disentangle the perception scores into characteristics of the perceiver (actor component), the target (partner component), and the family as a whole. For both current-family and family-of-origin relationships, significant variances of actor as well as family components were found. Empirical evidence for an association between current-family and (mother's) family-of-origin components was only found on the dimension of Restrictiveness. Clear differences were found between the means of current-family and family-of-origin perceptions, which could be explained by differences between current and past SRM components.

Depression markers in young children's play: a comparison between depressed and nondepressed 3- to 6-year-olds in various play situations.

BACKGROUND AND METHOD: The behaviour of 30 depressed 3- to 6-year-olds was observed in three play situations (solitary free play, interactive free play, and play narratives) and compared to the behaviour of 30 nondepressed clinical and 30 nondepressed nonclinical peers. RESULTS: Depressed children showed significantly less play, particularly less symbolic play, than nondepressed children. Instead, they exhibited more nonplay behaviours, such as exploration and undirected behaviours, than the control children. Moreover, the behaviour of the depressed children was less coherent than that of the nondepressed children, as evident from a greater number of shifts from one type of behaviour to another. CONCLUSIONS: Differences between depressed and nondepressed children were most prominent during the play narratives and were particularly striking when a sad mood was presented.