Nonreferred adolescent samples for ages 12 to 18 from Jamaica and the United States were compared via syndromes, syndrome groupings, and total problem scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Teacher's Report Form, and Youth Self-Report. No significant total problem score differences were found between Jamaican and U.S. adolescents in reports by any informants. However, adolescents in both societies reported significantly more problems than their parents or teachers. Jamaican adolescents received and endorsed higher problem ratings for the Withdrawn and Somatic Complaints syndromes and on internalizing scores. These findings suggest that by virtue of the time spent in their society, Jamaican adolescents may develop problems their country facilitates. The results further indicate the need to test whether similar CBCL-based syndromes and syndrome groupings are evident in the Jamaican youth population. If such groupings are identified for Jamaican adolescents, different clinical cutpoints on some scores may be needed for Jamaican than for U.S. adolescents.
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