Substance abuse among Native-American youth.

Substance use and abuse poses serious risks for American-Indian youth, their families, and their communities. This article briefly reviews the relevant social epidemiological data followed by a discussion of culturally relevant etiological factors. Current strategies for identification of youth at high risk for substance use are highlighted, concentrating primarily on the theoretical and methodological aspects appropriate for this population. In this context, data from recent work are reported. Given the nascent state of culturally appropriate prevention technology, issues of sensitive technology transfer and stereotyping are discussed in the context of current research. Study results from this sample, although dramatic, should not be overgeneralized to all American-Indian youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-R factor structures of younger and older youth with low IQs.

Factor analyzed WISC-R scores from 107 9–11 yr old children (mean IQ 70.4) and 78 14–26 yr old children (mean IQ 66.5). Coefficients of congruence across groups indicated that the 2 age groups were similar on the Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization factors, but less similar on the Freedom From Distractibility factor. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-R subscale patterns of abilities of Blacks and Whites matched on Full Scale IQ.

270 Black and 270 White children (ages 6–16.5 yrs) drawn from the national stratified random sample used in the standardization of the WISC-R were matched on age, sex, and WISC-R Full-Scale IQ to facilitate investigation of the patterns of specific cognitive abilities, as measured by the 12 subtests of the WISC-R, between the 2 racial groups. Multivariate analysis of the patterns of subtest differences between Whites and Blacks and group comparisons on 3 orthogonalized factor scores (Verbal, Performance, Memory) showed small but reliable average White–Black differences in patterns of ability. The IQ-matched racial groups showed no significant difference on the Verbal factor; Whites exceeded Blacks on the Performance (largely spatial visualization) factor; Blacks exceeded Whites on the Memory factor. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactions to two versions of affirmative action action among Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics.

Houston-area Whites (n?=?414), Blacks (n?=? 392), American-born Hispanics (n?=?162), and Hispanic immigrants (n?=?177) evaluated a self-defined typical affirmative action plan (AAP) and a tiebreak AAP that applies under conditions of equal qualifications and underrepresentation. Whites preferred Tiebreak; Blacks and Hispanics preferred the typical AAP. The groups differed in beliefs about the procedures and fairness of affirmative action (AA), perceptions of workplace discrimination, and political orientations. Perceived fairness predicted support for both AAPs in all American-born groups, but the impact of other predictors varied greatly across AAPs and ethnic groups. The results clarify the bases for Whites' opposition to AA as they construe it. The results also underscore the importance of specifying the AAP procedures, of uncovering the predictors of AA attitudes among target-group members, and of conducting separate analyses in each ethnic community. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlational and factor analysis of the Peabody Individual Achievement Test and the WISC-R.

Factor analyzed subtest scores from the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT) and the WISC-R for 180 6–17 yr olds to determine the number and kinds of factors measured by the PIAT. Two factors were found when the PIAT was factored alone. Reading Recognition, Reading Comprehension, and Spelling loaded highly on a Word Recognition factor, whereas Mathematics and General Information had moderate to high loadings on a School-Related Knowledge factor. When the PIAT was factored with the WISC-R subtests, a Word Recognition factor was found in addition to the 3 factors usually reported for the WISC-R. The School-Related Knowledge factor of the PIAT was subsumed by the other factors. General Information loaded highly on the Verbal Comprehension factor, and Mathematics loaded highly on the Freedom from Distractibility factor. Implications for the interpretation of the PIAT are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of WISC-R subtest analysis in discriminating among groups of conduct problem, withdrawn, mixed, and nonproblem boys.

Examined the ability of WISC-R subtest scores to distinguish among 3 groups of behaviorally disordered boys and a group of nondisordered Ss. The 100 7–16 yr old Ss were assigned to 1 of the 4 groups, based on their scores from the Behavior Problem Checklist. Results suggest that although WISC-R subtest scores distinguished among the groups, their use as a classification metric would be highly misleading. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity generalization of the WISC-R factor structure with 10?-year-old children.

Investigated the robustness of the WISC-R factor structure. The generalization sample was composed of 126 10.5-yr-old children. A principal-components method of factor analysis yielded 3 reliable factors (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility). Comparisons of the loadings obtained with the generalization sample and the 10.5-yr-old national standardization sample suggest a high degree of similarity in composition, magnitude, and pattern. Findings support the robustness of the WISC-R's factor structure across divergent 10.5-yr-old samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-R factor score profiles and academic achievement: A test of Kaufman's profile analysis procedures.

A. S. Kaufman (1979) suggested that factor score patterns may yield information about achievement that is additional to information contained in WISC-R composite scores. The present study examined the relation between factor score patterns and achievement beyond the well-established relationship between WISC-R composite scores and achievement. The WISC-R, including the Digit Span subtest, and the Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) were administered to 272 6–16 yr old academic underachievers referred for psychoeducational assessment. Results of the examination of factor score patterns and WRAT achievement scores indicate that 2 of the 10 patterns present in the data had a statistically significant relationship to achievement. While both patterns were negatively associated with achievement, the size of their contribution to achievement variance was small and in the order of 2%. These results impose limits on the utility of Kaufman's profile analysis procedures. (French abstract) (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Canadian content and the WISC-R information subtest.

In 2 studies, 7 WISC-R Information subtest items were altered as recommended by P. E. Vernon (1977) to make them more appropriate for Canadian children. For 210 normal 4th–10th graders and 52 students (mean age 12 yrs 5 mo) referred for assessment, responses to the modified items were compared to responses to the original manual items. Data were also compared to data from the American standardization group (D. Wechsler, 1974). On the basis of these comparisons, it is suggested that Vernon's changes be adopted. (French abstract) (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparing factor structures of adolescent psychopathology.

Research on the structure of adolescent psychopathology can provide information on broad factors that underlie different forms of maladjustment in youths. Multiple studies from the literature on adult populations suggest that 2 factors, Internalizing and Externalizing, meaningfully comprise the factor structure of adult psychopathology (e.g., Krueger, 1999) and presumably represent broad vulnerability for co-occurring disorders. Though this research was partially inspired by early work with children and adolescents (e.g., Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1984), the role of substance use in these models of youth psychopathology has not been fully explored. Toward this goal, we recruited 223 youths (10–17 years of age, M = 14.2) from mental health agencies and the community. We found evidence for a 3-factor model of youth psychopathology, including Internalizing (depression, generalized anxiety), Externalizing (conduct disorder, attention deficit, oppositional defiant disorder), and Substance Use (alcohol and cannabis). The 3-factor model showed the best fit to the data relative to other factor models tested, including across subsamples of adolescents who differed on level of psychopathology (treatment vs. community samples). Implications for the structure of adolescent psychopathology, including important developmental considerations, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlations and factor analysis of the WISC-R and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test for an adolescent psychiatric sample.

Correlated and factor analyzed WISC-R and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) scores of 100 adolescent psychiatric patients. The purposes were to explore the factor structure of these scores among a psychiatric sample for comparison with other samples in the literature and to determine whether the PPVT adds sufficient information to an intellectual assessment battery. Three factors emerged that were similar to previously reported factors using other Ss. The PPVT loaded heavily on the factors emerging from the WISC-R, suggesting that the PPVT adds little to information gained from the WISC-R. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distinguishing learning-disabled and emotionally disturbed children on the WISC-R.

Isolated the distinctive WISC-R subtest patterns that would differentiate the performance of emotionally disturbed and learning-disabled children. A stepwise discriminant analysis was used to evaluate the subtest scores of 60 learning-disabled 6–13 yr olds and a matched sample of 60 emotionally disturbed children. Four subtests of the WISC-R differentiated significantly between diagnostic categories. Learning-disabled Ss performed predictively poorer on the Block Design, Picture Arrangement, and Object Assembly subtests and higher on Vocabulary than their emotionally disturbed counterparts. Results are interpreted as a deficit in perceptual organization for children with specific learning problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extrapolated WISC-R IQs for gifted and mentally retarded children.

Presents extrapolated IQs for the 1974 WISC revised version (WISC-R) for sums of scaled scores that are both below and above the values published in the WISC-R manual. The regression equations on which these extrapolations are based and cautions regarding the clinical use of these IQs are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

WISC-R subtest variability in normal Canadian children and its relationship to sex, age, and IQ.

91 children (mean age 11.5 yrs), screened for absence of emotional and educational disabilities, were tested on the WISC-R and examined for significant subtest variability. Arithmetic, Digit Recall, Comprehension, and Coding differed significantly from the grand mean of all subtests. In a 2nd analysis, subtest variability was examined relative to Ss' sex, age, and overall IQ. Sex differences occurred on Information, Picture Completion, Arithmetic, Coding and Digit Recall. Age differences occurred on Information and marginally on Performance IQ. Sex and Age interacted on Performance IQ, and Sex and IQ interacted on Coding. It is suggested that the absence of sex-specific norms and separate norms for Canadian children may lessen the clinical interpretability of subtest differences on the WISC-R. (French abstract) (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Common errors in psychotherapy with Chicanos: Extrapolations from research and clinical experience.

Explicates errors that lead to the underutilization of psychotherapy by Chicanos and errors that therapists are likely to make in working with Chicano patients. Underutilization of psychotherapy is related to the erroneous judgment that the Chicano culture and psychotherapy are incompatible and to the error of looking to the patient variable rather than to the therapist variable as a major factor. The errors in treatment of Chicanos include a tendency to overdiagnose psychopathology, a misunderstanding of the cultural differences relating to formality and personalization of professional relationships, confusion about differences in coping styles, a superficial grasp of the concept of machismo, the misperception of Chicanos as a homogeneous group, and anxiety on the part of the Anglo therapists about topics such as dependency, competition, and sexism. Ways to reduce the errors are offered. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control in Mexicans and Chicanos: The case of the missing fatalist.

Studied the extent to which a stereotype of Mexican or Chicano students as fatalistic is supported by their locus of control scores. Data came from Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale scores of male college students in 4 nations: US (86), Mexico (57), Ireland (47), and West Germany (54). Data show the Mexican Ss to be significantly more internally oriented than Ss from each of the other nations. Locus of control scores (determined with a scale developed by H. Levenson, 1974) for 151 Anglo and 95 Chicano senior high school students were also compared. Scores for Chicanos were nearly identical to those obtained from Anglo students. Only Chicano male high school students not planning to enter college showed any tendency toward a more external locus of control. It is concluded that to the extent a perceived external locus of control would be indicative of a fatalistic outlook, such perception is lacking in most data in Mexican and Chicano respondents. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and cross-validation of a short form for the WISC-R.

Multiple linear regression was used to derive a short form for the WISC-R in 300 6–17 yr olds receiving treatment and/or evaluation at a university-affiliated community mental health center. The predictive validity of this approach was examined via a cross validation that included 300 additional Ss from the same population; 2 short-form regression equations were taken from the work of L. P. Kennedy and S. T. Elder (see record 1982-08867-001), and a short form was derived from the Wechsler normative sample (D. Wechsler, 1974). Correlations and standard errors of the estimates are reported for both the original and cross-validational samples. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)