This study describes the preliminary psychometric characteristics of a newparent-as-respondent assessment tool, the Coolidge Personality and Neuropsychological Inventory for Children (CPNI). The CPNI contains 200 items answered on a 4-point Likert-type scale. The CPNI has a three-fold purpose: (a) to assess the 12 personality disorders according to the criteria on Axis II and Appendix B of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; (b) to assess neuropsychological dysfunction, including Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Mild Neurocognitive Disorder, executive function deficits, and other related symptoms; and (c) to measure some Axis I diagnoses including Separation Anxiety Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, depression, and general anxiety, as well as other clinical syndromes. The scale reliabilities and test-retest reliabilities were moderate to high, and construct validity was good, which supports further research with the inventory.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association . (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington DC: Author.
2.
American Psychiatric Association . (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington DC: Author.
3.
Angold, A. , Costello, E. J., & Erkanli, A. (1999). Comorbidity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 57-87.
4.
Babinski, L. M. , Hartsough, C. S., & Lambert, N. M. (1999). Childhood conduct problems, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and inattention as predictors of adult criminal activity. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 347-355.
5.
Bemporad, J. R. , Smith, H. F., Hanson, G., & Cicchetti, D. (1982). Borderline syndromes in childhood: Criteria for diagnosis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 596-602.
6.
Bernstein, D. , Cohen, P., Skodol, A., Bezirganian, S., & Brook, J. (1996). Childhood antecedents of adolescent personality disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 907-913.
7.
Biederman, J. , Faraone, S. V., Chu, M. P., & Wozniak, J. (1999). Further evidence of a bidirectional overlap between juvenile mania and conduct disorder in children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 468-476.
8.
Chess, S. , & Thomas, A. (1984). Origins and evolution of behavior disorders. New York: Raven Press.
9.
Coolidge, F. L. (1988). Children’s Coolidge Axis II Inventory. Washington, DC: U.S. Copyright TXU 344-675.
10.
Coolidge, F. L. (1998). Coolidge personality and neuropsychological inventory for children manual: CPNI. Colorado Springs, CO: Author.
11.
Coolidge, F. L. , Philbrick, P. B., Wooley, M. J., Bunting, E. K., Hyman, J. N., & Stager, M. A. (1990). The KCATI: Development of an inventory for the assessment of personality disorders in children. Journal of Personality and Clinical Studies, 6, 225-232.
12.
Coolidge, F. L. , Thede, L. L., & Jang, K. L. (2001). Heritability of personality disorders in childhood: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Personality Disorders, 15, 33-40.
13.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structures of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297-334.
14.
Gioia, G. A. , Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C., & Pratt, B. (1999, August). Does parent educational level affect ratings of child executive function? Paper presented to the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
15.
Huesmann, L. R. , Eron, L. D., Lefkowitz, M. M., & Walder, L. O. (1984). Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1120-1134.
16.
Jang, K. L. , Livesley, W. J., Vernon, P. A., & Jackson, D. N. (1996). Heritability of personality disorder traits: A twin study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 94, 438-444.
17.
Lieberz, K. (1989). Children at risk for schizoid disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 3, 329-337.
18.
Magnusson, D. (1988). Individual development from an interactional perspective: A longitudinal study. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
19.
Matthys, W. , Cuperus, J. M., & Van Engeland, H. (1999). Deficient social problem-solving in boys with ODD/CD, with ADHD, and with both disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38, 311-321.
20.
Millon, T. (1996). Disorders of personality: DSM-IV and beyond (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley and Sons, Inc.
21.
Olweus, D. (1979). Stability of aggressive reaction patterns in males: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 852-875.
22.
Olweus, D. (1980). Familial and temperamental determinants of aggressive behaviour in adolescent boys: A causal analysis. Developmental Psychology, 16, 644-660.
23.
Pennington, B. F. , & Ozonoff, S. (1996). Executive functions and developmental psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 51-87.
24.
Robins, L. (1966). Deviant children grown-up. Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins.
25.
Robins, L. (1978). Sturdy childhood predictors of adult antisocial behaviour: Replication from longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine, 8, 611-622.
26.
Rutter, M. (1987). Temperament, personality, and personality disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 443-458.
27.
Silver, C. H. , Benton, S. B., Goulden, L. G., Molho, C. E., & Clark, J. P. (1999, August). Measurement of children’s executive functioning by parent report. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
28.
Spreen, O. (1989). The relationship between learning disability, emotional disorders, and neuropsychology: Some results and observations. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 11, 117-140.
29.
Tantam, D. (1988a). Lifelong eccentricity and social isolation I: Psychiatric, social, and forensic aspects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 777-782.
30.
Tantam, D. (1988b). Lifelong eccentricity and social isolation II: Asperger’s syndrome or schizoid personality disorder?British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 783-791.
31.
Torgersen, S. , Lygren, S., Oien, P. A., Skre, I., Onstad, S., Edvardsen, J., Tambs, K., & Kringlen, E. (2000). A twin study of personality disorders. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 41, 416-425.
32.
Verhulst, F. C. (1984). Diagnosing borderline children. Acta Paedopsychiatrica, 50, 161-173.
33.
Widiger, T. A. (1993). Validation strategies for the personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, Suppl. 1, 34-43.
34.
Wolff, S. (1993). Personality disorder in childhood. In P. Tyrer & G. Stein (Eds.), Personality disorder reviewed (pp. 64-89). Glasgow: Bell & Bain Limited.
35.
Wolff, S. , & Chick, J. (1980). Schizoid personality in childhood: A controlled follow-up study. Psychological Medicine, 10, 85-100.
