This study compared parents' ratings of behavioral and emotional problems on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991;Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) for general population samples of children ages 6 to 16 from 31 societies (N = 55,508). Effect sizes for society ranged from .03 to .14. Effect sizes for gender were ≤ .01, with girls generally scoring higher on Internalizing problems and boys generally scoring higher on Externalizing problems. Effect sizes for age were ≤ .01 and varied across types of problems.Total Problems scores for 19 of 31 societies were within 1 SD of the overall mean of 22.5. Bisociety correlations for mean item scores averaged .74. The findings indicate that parents' reports of children's problems were similar in many ways across highly diverse societies. Nonetheless, effect sizes for society were larger than those for gender and age, indicating the need to take account of multicultural variations in parents' reports of children's problems.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Achenbach, T.M. (1991). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/ 4—18 and 1991 profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
2.
Achenbach, T.M., Bird, H.R., Canino, G.J., Phares, V., Gould, M., & Rubio-Stipec, M. (1990). Epidemiological comparisons of Puerto Rican and U.S. mainland children: Parent, teacher, and self reports . Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 84—93.
3.
Achenbach, T.M., Dumenci, L., & Rescorla, L.A. (2003). DSMoriented and empirically based approaches to constructing scales from the same item pools. Journal of Clinical Child and AdolescentPsychology, 32, 328—340.
4.
Achenbach, T.M., & Edelbrock, C. (1983). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist and Revised Child Behavior profile. Burlington: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.
5.
Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families.
6.
Achenbach, T.M., & Rescorla, L.R. (2007). Multicultural understanding of child and adolescent psychopathology: Implications for mental health assessment . New York: Guilford Press.
7.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author .
8.
Bilenberg, N. (1999). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and related material: Standardization and validation in Danish population and clinically based samples. Acta Psychiatrica Scandivica, Supplementum,100, 398, 1—52.
9.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York : Academic Press.
10.
Crijnen, A.A.M., Achenbach, T.M., & Verhulst, F.C. (1997). Comparisons of problems reported by parents of children in 12 cultures: Total problems, externalizing, and internalizing. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 1269— 1277.
11.
Crijnen, A.A.M., Achenbach, T.M., & Verhulst, F.C. (1999). Comparisons of problems reported by parents of children in twelve cultures: The CBCL/4-18 syndrome constructs. The American Journal of Psychiatry,156, 569—574.
12.
Domuta, A. (2004). Evaluarea sindromului ADHD la varsta prescolara. Teza de doctorat. Cluj Napoca, Romania: Universitatea Baves-Bolyai.
13.
Döpfner, M., Plück, J., Berner, W., Fegert, J.M., Hüss, M., Schmeck, K., et al. (1997). Psychishe auffäligkeiten von kindern und jugendlichen in Deutschland. Zeitschrift fur Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie,25, 218—233.
14.
Erol, N., & Simsek, Z. (1997). Mental health profiles of Turkey: Behavioral and emotional problems and competencies in Turkish children (in Turkish). In N. Erol, C. Kilic, M. Ulusoy, M. Kececi, & Z. Simsek (Eds.), Mental health profiles in Turkey: A preliminary report (pp. 12—33). Ankara, Turkey: Aydogdu.
15.
Fombonne, E., & Vermeersch, S. (1997). Les enfants de la Cohorte GAZEL: I—Prévalence des contacts avec le système médicoéducatif pour des motifs psychologiques, et facteurs associés [Children of the GAZEL Cohort: Prevalence of contacts with medical-educational systems for psychological causes, and associated factors]. Revue Epidémiologique et Santé Publique,45, 29—40.
16.
Fonseca, A.C., Simoes, A., Rebelo, J.A., Ferreira, J.A., Cardoso, F., & Temudo, P. (1995). Hyperactivity and conduct disorder among Portuguese children and adolescents: Data from parents' and teachers' reports. In J. Sergeant (Ed.), Eunethydis: European approaches to hyperkinetic disorder (pp. 115—129). Zürich: Fotorotar.
17.
Frigerio, A., Cattaneo, C., Cataldo, M.G., Schiatti, A., Molteni, M., & Battaglia, M. (2004). Behavioral and emotional problems among Italian children and adolescents aged 4 to 18 years as reported by parents and teachers . European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 20, 124—133.
18.
Geisinger, K. (1994). Cross-cultural normative assessment: Translation and adaptation issues influencing the normative interpretation of assessment instruments. Psychological Assessment, 6, 304—312.
19.
Hannesdottir, H., & Einarsdottir, S. (1995). Icelandic Child Mental Health Study. An epidemiological study of Icelandic children 2—18 years of age using the Child Behavior Checklist as a screening instrument. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 4, 237—248.
20.
Hellinckx, W., Grietens, H., & De Munter, A. (2000). Parent-reported problem behavior in 12—16-year-old American and Russian children: A cross-national comparison. In N. N. Singh, J. P. Leung, & A. N. Singh (Eds.), International perspectives on child and adolescent mental health (pp. 205—222). Oxford: Elsevier .
21.
Hellinckx, W., Grietens, H., & Verhulst, F. (1994). Competence and behavioral problems in 6- to 12-year-old children in Flanders (Belgium) and Holland: A cross-national comparison. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 2, 130—142.
22.
Itani, T., Kanbayashi, Y., Nakata, Y., Kita, M., Kuramoto, H., Negishi, T., et al. (2001). Standardization of the Japanese version of the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18. Psychiatrica etNeurologia Paediatrica Japonica, 41, 243—252.
23.
Ivanova, M.Y., Achenbach, T.M., Dumenci, L., Rescorla, L.A., Almqvist, F., Bilenberg, N., et al. (in press). Testing the 8-syndrome structure of the CBCL in 30 societies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology .
24.
Lambert, M.C., Knight, F., Taylor, R., & Achenbach, T.M. (1994). Epidemiology of behavioral and emotional problems among children of Jamaica and the United States: Parent reports for ages 6—11. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology , 22, 113—128.
25.
Lambert, M.C., Lyubansky, M., & Achenbach, T.M. (1998). Behavioral and emotional problems among adolescents of Jamaica and the United States: Parent, teacher, and self-reports for ages 12 to 18. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 6, 180—187.
26.
Larsson, B., & Frisk, M. (1999). Social competence and emotional/ behaviour problems in 6—16-year-old Swedish school children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 8, 24—33.
27.
Leung, P., Kwong, S.L., Tang, C.P., Ho, T.P., Hung, S.F., Lee, C.C., et al. (2006). Test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the Chinese version of CBCL, TRF, and YSR. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines,47, 970—973.
28.
Liu, X., Guo, C., Okawa, M., Zhai, J., Li, Y., Uchiyama, M., et al. (2000). Behavioral and emotional problems among Chinese children ofdivorce. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 896—903.
29.
Liu, X., Kurita, H., Guo, C., Miyake,Y., Ze, J., & Cao, H. (1999). Prevalence and risk factors of behavioral and emotional problems among Chinese children aged 6 through 11 years. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 38, 708—715.
30.
Minaei, A. (2005). Manual of ASEBA school-age forms for Iranian children . Tehran: Research Institute for Exceptional Children.
31.
Mulatu, M.S. (1997). Stress, coping, and adaptation of Ethiopian adolescents: Testing the applicability of the transactional model of stress and coping . Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Queen's University , Ontario, Canada.
32.
Muthén, L.K., & Muthén, B.O. (2001). Mplus: User's guide. Los Angeles : Muthén & Muthén.
33.
Novik, T.S. (1999). Validity of the child behavior checklist in a Norwegian sample. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry , 8, 247— 254.
34.
Nunnally, J.C., & Bernstein, I.H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
35.
Oh, K.-J., Lee, H., Hong, K.E., & Ha, E.H. (1997). Manual for the Korean Child Behavior Checklist . Seoul: Choongang Juksung Press .
36.
Rescorla, L.A., Achenbach, T.M., Ginzburg, S., Ivanova, M.Y., Dumenci, L., Almqvist, F., et al. (2007). Consistency of teacher-reported problems for students in 21 countries. School Psychology Review, 36, 91—110.
37.
Rescorla, L.A., Achenbach, T.M., Ivanova, M.Y., Dumenci, L., Almqvist, F., Bilenberg, N., et al. (2007). Epidemiological comparisons of problems and positive qualities reported by adolescents in 24 countries. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75, 351—358.
38.
Roussos, A., Karantanos, G., Richardson, C., Hartman, C., Karajiannis, D., Kyprianos, S., et al. (1999). Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher's Report Form in a normative sample of Greek children 6—12 years old. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 8, 165—172.
39.
Sawyer, M.G., Arney, F.M., Baghurst, P.A., Clark, J.J., Graetz, R.J., Kosky, R.J., et al. (2001). The mental health of young people in Australia: Key findings from the child and adolescent component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 806—814.
40.
Steinhausen, H.C., Metzke, C.W., Meier, M., & Kannenberg, R. (1997). Behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents for ages 6 to 17 in a Swiss epidemiological study . European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 6, 136—141.
41.
Triandis, H.C. (1989). The self and social behavior in different cultural contexts. Psychological Review,96, 506—520.
42.
Verhulst, F.C., van der Ende, J., Ferdinand, R.F., & Kasius, M.C. (1997). The prevalence of DSM-III-R diagnoses in a national sample of Dutch adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry,54, 329—336.
43.
Weintraub, S. (2004). The Finnish standardization of the ASEBA scales . Unpublished manuscript, University of Helsinki, Finland.
44.
Weisz, J.R., Suwanlert, S., Chaiyasit, W., Weiss, B., Achenbach, T.M., & Eastman, K.L. (1993). Behavioral and emotional problems among Thai and American adolescents: Parent reports for ages 12—16. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 395—403.
45.
Weisz, J.R., Suwanlert, S., Chaiyasit, W., Weiss, B., Achenbach, T.M., & Walter, B.R. (1987). Epidemiology of behavioral and emotional problems among Thai and American children: Parent reports for ages 6—11. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , 26, 890—897.
46.
Wolanczyk, T. (2003). Zaburzenia emocjonalne i behawioralne u dzieci i modziezy w Polsce [Behavioral and emotional problems of children and adolescents in Poland]. Warsaw, Poland: Akademia Medyczna w Warszawie.
47.
Yabuuchi, A. (2004). Face in Chinese, Japanese, and U.S. American cultures . Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 14, 261—297.
48.
Yang, H.J., Soong, W.T., Chinag, C.N., & Chen, W.J. (2000). Competence and behavioral/emotional problems among Taiwanese adolescents as reported by parents and teachers. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 232—239.
49.
Zilber, N., Auerbach, J., & Lerner, Y. (1994). Israeli norms for the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist: Comparison of clinically-referred and non-referred children. TheIsrael Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 31, 5—12.
50.
Zukauskiene, R., Ignataviciene, K., & Daukantaite, D. (2003). Sub-scale scores of the Lithuanian version of the CBCL. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 12, 136—143.
