Personality Disorder Traits During Adolescence and Relationships With Family Members During the Transition to Adulthood.

Data from the Children in the Community Transitions Study, a prospective longitudinal investigation, were used to examine the association between adolescent personality disorder (PD) traits and conflict with family members during the transition to adulthood. PD traits at mean age 16 years were associated with elevated contact and conflict with family members between ages 17 and 27 years after Axis I disorders were controlled. There was a significant association between frequent contact and elevated conflict with family members. Both declined gradually during the transition to adulthood. Reduced family contact was associated with reduced family conflict, particularly among individuals who had numerous PD traits during adolescence. Among individuals who had a high level of family conflict during adolescence, reduced family contact between ages 17 and 22 years was associated with a subsequent reduction in conflict with family members between ages 22 and 27 years. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The normative development of child and adolescent problem behavior.

The aim of this study was to identify normative developmental trajectories of parent-reported problems assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach, 1991) in a representative sample of 2,076 children aged 4 to 18 years from the general population. The trajectories were determined by multilevel growth curve analyses on the CBCL syndromes in a longitudinal multiple birth-cohort sample that was assessed 5 times with 2-year intervals. Most syndromes showed a linear increase or decrease with age or a curvilinear trajectory, except for thought problems. Trajectories for most syndromes differed for boys versus girls, except those for withdrawn, social problems, and thought problems. These normative developmental trajectories provide information against which developmental deviance in childhood and adolescence can be detected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent-Adolescent Disagreement Regarding Psychopathology in Adolescents From the General Population as a Risk Factor for Adverse Outcome.

This study investigated whether parent-adolescent disagreement regarding adolescents' behavioral and emotional problems predicted adverse outcome. A Dutch sample of 15- to 18-year-olds was prospectively followed across a 4-year interval. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: T. M. Achenbach, 1997) and Youth Self-Report (YSR; T. M. Achenbach, 1991b) were administered at initial assessment, and the following signs of poor outcome were assessed 4 years later: police/judicial contacts, expulsion from school/job, suicidal ideation, unwanted pregnancy, suicide attempts, deliberate self-harm, referral to mental health services, report of having a behavioral or emotional problem, and feeling the need for professional help without actually receiving help. Twenty CBCL syndrome scores, 23 YSR syndrome scores, and 16 discrepancy scores were significant predictors of poor outcome. It was concluded that to determine the prognosis of psychopathology in adolescents, discrepancies between informants may be important. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental trajectories of anxiety symptoms among boys across early and middle childhood.

This study examined the developmental trajectory of anxiety symptoms among 290 boys and evaluated the association of trajectory groups with child and family risk factors and children's internalizing disorders. Anxiety symptoms were measured using maternal reports from the Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach, 1991, 1992) for boys between the ages of 2 and 10. A group-based trajectory analysis revealed 4 distinct trajectories in the development of anxiety symptoms: low, low increasing, high declining, and high-increasing trajectories. Child shy temperament tended to differentiate between initial high and low groups, whereas maternal negative control and maternal depression were associated with increasing trajectories and elevated anxiety symptoms in middle childhood. Follow-up analyses to diagnoses of preadolescent depression and/or anxiety disorders revealed different patterns on the basis of trajectory group membership. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanisms of risk factors and implications for early identification and prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for disruptive behavior syndromes in children: The application of latent class analyses and implications for prevention programs.

The predictive accuracy of classifying children at risk for disruptive disorders through latent class analyses (LCA) was evaluated. Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 (T. M. Achenbach, 1991) items, reflecting symptoms of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., American Psychiatric Association, 1994) defined disruptive disorders, alone and in combination with other child and familial risk factors, were used to predict children's risk for disruptive disorder. Predictive accuracy reached a positive predictive value of 69%. Children incorrectly classified (false positive and false negative) were compared with correctly classified children (true positive and true negative) on risk factors in the family context to test whether the screening procedure could be improved through a multiple-gating procedure. The differences in familial context factors between these children were limited, and no clear indications were found on how to use familial context factors to improve the screening procedure after the initial classification by LCA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contact in adoption and adoptive identity formation: The mediating role of family conversation.

The present study examined adoption-related family conversation as a mediator of the association between adoptive parents' facilitation of contact with birth relatives and adolescent adoptive identity formation. The sample consisted of 184 adoptive families. Data were collected in two waves from adoptive mothers and fathers, and adoptees (M = 15.68 years at adolescence; M = 24.95 years at emerging adulthood) using semistructured interviews and questionnaires. Structural equation models showed a good fit to sample data, and analyses supported the hypothesized mediation model. Contact with birth relatives is associated with more frequent adoption-related family conversation, which in turn is associated with the development of adoptive identity. These results highlight the importance of supporting activities such as contact that lead to adoption-related family conversation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor structure of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 in a sample of girls adopted from China.

Confirmatory factor analysis with robust weighted least squares estimation of the 103 dichotomously scored items of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) in a sample of 516 girls adopted from China (ages 6.0-15.7 years; M = 8.2, SD = 1.9) indicated that the fit of the 8-factor model was good (root-mean-square error of approximation = .047) and was slightly better than what T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla (2001) reported for the same model (.06). Support for the 2nd-order factor structure of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems also was provided. Comparisons of the mean scores for the syndromes and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems revealed mostly small differences between the sample of adopted Chinese girls and T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla's normative samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging the divide: Openness in adoption and postadoption psychosocial adjustment among birth and adoptive parents.

Using 323 matched parties of birth mothers and adoptive parents, this study examined the association between the degree of adoption openness (e.g., contact and knowledge between parties) and birth and adoptive parents' postadoption adjustment shortly after the adoption placement (6 to 9 months). Data from birth fathers (N = 112), an understudied sample, were also explored. Openness was assessed by multiple informants. Results indicated that openness was significantly related to satisfaction with adoption process among adoptive parents and birth mothers. Increased openness was positively associated with birth mothers' postplacement adjustment, as indexed by birth mothers' self-reports and the interviewers' impression of birth mothers' adjustment. Birth fathers' report of openness was associated with their greater satisfaction with the adoption process and better postadoption adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child-Related Disagreements, Verbal Aggression, and Children's Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems.

Dual-income parents (N = 122 couples) with an oldest child 18-60 months of age completed the Child-Rearing Disagreements Scale (E. N. Jouriles et al., 1991), the Child Behavior Checklist (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2000), and the Verbal Aggression subscale of the Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scale (P. K. Kerig, 1996). Replicating the results of E. N. Jouriles et al. (1991) and extending these findings to daughters and fathers, the authors found links between child-related disagreements and parental ratings of child behavior problems in this low-risk sample. There were no links between fathers' reports of verbal aggression and child behavior problems. Among mothers, however, use of verbal aggression mediated the link between child-related disagreements and ratings of sons' internalizing problems. Verbal aggression did not moderate the link between child-related disagreements and child behavior problems for either mothers or for fathers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Youth Self-Report inventory: A study of its measurements fidelity.

Evaluated the measurement fidelity (i.e., reliability, factor structure, and validity) of T. M. Achenbach's (1966, 1991) Youth Self-Report (YSR) scale. Data from hospitalized psychiatric adolescents were used to test the unidimensionality of each narrow band syndrome and to conduct confirmatory factor analysis on broadband syndromes. Three competing models regarding broadband syndromes were constructed and compared with the structure reported by Achenbach (1991). The results partly support Achenbach's findings in that 4 of the 7 narrowband syndromes were found to be valid. However, meaningful subdimensions were obtained for the other 3 narrowband syndromes. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that internalizing and externalizing were valid broadband syndromes. However, 3 narrowband syndromes (Social Problems, Thought Problems, and Attention Problems) cross-loaded on both broadband syndromes. Important differences in broadband syndromes were found between boys and girls. Supplemental analyses on Time 2 data demonstrated the stability of these findings. Implications for future refinement of the YSR are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intuitive and empirical prototypes in childhood psychopathology.

This study examines the validity of intuitive classifications of experienced diagnosticians, that is, the empirical foundation of their intuitive prototypes. Intuitive prototypes of 10 experienced diagnosticians were collected in two tasks and were compared with the empirically based assessment system of T. M. Achenbach (T. M. Achenbach, K. C. Conners, H. C. Quay, F. C. Verhulst, & C. T. Howell, 1989). Results show that the intuitive prototypes correspond very poorly with the empirical core syndromes, instead consisting of different groups of symptoms from various core syndromes. The study also showed a low similarity between behaviors that clinicians judge as co- occurring with an incompletely specified syndrome and behaviors that empirically co-occur with that syndrome. Reasons for the difference between intuitive prototypes and empirically derived classification structures are discussed, as are consequences for diagnostic practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric properties of a French-Canadian translation of Achenbach's Youth Self-Report.

Examined internal consistency, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability of a French-Canadian translation of T. M. Achenbach's (1991) Youth Self-Report (YSR) in a nonreferred sample, aged 13-18 yrs. 48 bilingual and 64 English-speaking adolescents and their parents participated. Analysis of variance comparing the standard English YSR and Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991) indicated no main effects for adolescent gender or language, but adolescents reported more pathology than did their parents. The standard and French YSR scales were highly correlated (r=.96-.98), and parallel items elicited similar responses. Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the French YSR scales ranged from 0.83 to 0.92, and test-retest correlations were robust (r=.85-.88). Bilinguals who spoke predominantly French at home reported more internalizing pathology on the French than on the English YSR, but external validation is necessary to determine which report is more valid. Further investigation of the French YSR in referred samples is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood sexual abuse, adolescent sexual behaviors and sexual revictimization

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which exposure to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was associated with increased rates of sexual risk taking behaviors and sexual revictimization during adolescence. METHOD: A birth cohort of 520 New Zealand born young women was studied at regular intervals from birth to the age of 18. At age 18 retrospective reports of CSA were obtained from sample members. Over the course of the 18 year study information was gathered on: (a) childhood, family, and related circumstances; and (b) the young women's history of sexual experiences from 14 to 18 years. RESULTS: Young women reporting CSA, and particularly severe CSA involving intercourse, had significantly higher rates of early onset consensual sexual activity, teenage pregnancy, multiple sexual partners, unprotected intercourse, sexually transmitted disease, and sexual assault after the age of 16. Logistic regression analyses suggested that the associations between CSA and sexual outcomes in adolescence arose by two routes. First, exposure to CSA was associated with a series of childhood and family factors including social disadvantage, family instability, impaired parent child relationships, and parental adjustment difficulties that were also associated with increased sexual vulnerability in adolescence. Second, there appeared to be a causal chain relationship between CSA and sexual experiences in which CSA was associated with early onset sexual activity which, in turn, led to heightened risks of other adverse outcomes in adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that those exposed to CSA have greater sexual vulnerability during adolescence. This appears to arise because: (a) the childhood and family factors that are associated with CSA are also associated with increased sexual risks during adolescence; and (b) exposure to CSA may encourage early onset sexual activity which places those exposed to CSA at greater sexual risk over the period of adolescence.     

Prediction of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in siblings of children with diabetes. A population-based study. The Childhood Diabetes in Finland Study Group

The relationship between parental divorce occurring during adolescence and young adult psychosocial adjustment was examined, as was the role of family process variables in clarifying this relationship. Participants were young Caucasian adults from divorced (n = 119) and married (n = 123) families. Assessments were conducted during adolescence and 6 years later during early adulthood. Young adults from married families reported more secure romantic attachments than those from divorced families; however, differences were not evident in other domains of psychosocial adjustment after demographic variables were controlled. Three family process variables (parent-adolescent relationship, interparental conflict, and maternal depressive symptoms) were examined as potential mediators and moderators of the association between parental divorce and young adult adjustment. No evidence supporting mediation or moderation was found; however, the parent-adolescent and parent-young adult relationships, particularly when the identified parent was the father, emerged as significant predictors of young adult psychosocial adjustment.     

Cross-cultural generalizability of the Child Behavior Checklist cross-informant syndromes.

Principal factor analysis followed by promax rotations were performed on Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores of 2,339 children randomly drawn from a sample of 4,674 clinically referred Dutch children, aged 4–18 years. Dutch syndromes were very similar in item composition to the 8 CBCL cross-informant syndromes derived by T. M. Achenbach (1991), except for the Social Problems syndrome. Cross-national correlations ranged from .82 for the Social Problems syndrome to .99 for the Somatic Complaints and Anxious/Depressed syndromes. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Dutch and American syndromes in a cross-validation sample of the remaining 2,335 Dutch children supported both the Dutch and the American scales to the same degree. Exploratory and confirmatory results both strongly supported the cross-cultural generalizability of the CBCL cross-informant syndromes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rationally and empirically derived dimensions of children's symptomatology: Expert ratings and confirmatory factor analyses of the CBCL.

Expert ratings and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop an alternative system for scoring the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; T. M. Achenbach, 1991) to measure specific dimensions corresponding to current conceptualizations of child symptomatology. Data were from a nonclinic and 2 independent clinic samples. Subscales measuring Anxiety, Attention Problems/Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, Depression, Oppositional Defiant, Social Problems/Immaturity, and Somatization were created. Logistic regressions were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency and discrimination of the new and original approaches to scoring the CBCL. Some of the new subscales demonstrated better sensitivity, positive predictive power, and discriminant validity than the original CBCL subscales; however, subscales from both approaches demonstrated low sensitivity. Results support the use of the new subscales for specific research purposes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parental divorce during early adolescence in Caucasian families: The role of family process variables in predicting the long-term consequences for early adult psychosocial adjustment.

The relationship between parental divorce occurring during adolescence and young adult psychosocial adjustment was examined, as was the role of family process variables in clarifying this relationship. Participants were young Caucasian adults from divorced (n?=?119) and married (n?=?123) families. Assessments were conducted during adolescence and 6 years later during early adulthood. Young adults from married families reported more secure romantic attachments than those from divorced families; however, differences were not evident in other domains of psychosocial adjustment after demographic variables were controlled. Three family process variables (parent–adolescent relationship, interparental conflict, and maternal depressive symptoms) were examined as potential mediators and moderators of the association between parental divorce and young adult adjustment. No evidence supporting mediation or moderation was found; however, the parent–adolescent and parent–young adult relationships, particularly when the identified parent was the father, emerged as significant predictors of young adult psychosocial adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurement and structural models for children's problem behaviors.

This article considers an analytic strategy for measuring and modeling child and adolescent problem behaviors. The strategy embeds an item response model within a hierarchical model to define an interval scale for the outcomes, to assess dimensionality, and to study how individual and contextual factors relate to multiple dimensions of problem behaviors. To illustrate, the authors analyze data from the primary caregiver ratings of 2,177 children aged 9-15 in 79 urban neighborhoods on externalizing behavior problems using the Child Behavior Checklist 4-18 (T. M. Achenbach, 1991a). Two subscales, Aggression and Delinquency, are highly correlated, and yet unidimensionality must be rejected because these subscales have different associations with key theoretically related covariates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from age 2 to age 12: Findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care.

How and why do internalizing and externalizing problems, psychopathological problems from different diagnostic classes representing separate forms of psychopathology, co-occur in children? We investigated the development of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems from ages 2 to 12 with the use of latent class growth analysis. Furthermore, we examined how early childhood factors (temperament, cognitive functioning, maternal depression, and home environment) and early adolescent social and behavioral adjustment variables were related to differential trajectories of pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems. The sample (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care) consisted of 1,232 children (52% male). Mother reports on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991, 1992) were used to construct the trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems. Analyses identified groups of children exhibiting pure and co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems. Children exhibiting continuous externalizing or continuous co-occurring internalizing and externalizing problems across the 10-year period under investigation were more likely to (a) engage in risky behaviors, (b) be associated with deviant peers, (c) be rejected by peers, and (d) be asocial with peers at early adolescence. However, children exhibiting pure internalizing problems over time were only at higher risk for being asocial with peers as early adolescents. Moreover, the additive effects of individual and environmental early childhood risk factors influenced the development of chronic externalizing problems, although pure internalizing problems were uniquely influenced by maternal depression. Results also provided evidence for the concepts of equifinality and multifinality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)