Alfons A. M. Crijnen

Parent, teacher and self-reported problem behavior in The Netherlands: Comparing Moroccan immigrant with Dutch and with Turkish immigrant children and adolescents

Abstract.Background:Although literature leaves little doubt that migration from one country to another is stressful, empirical studies do not warrant general conclusions regarding the impact of migration on psychological development. Moroccans and Turks are two of the largest immigrant groups in The Netherlands, and share a similar migration history and religion. However, there are important differences between Turkish and Moroccan society, for example, in the level of education and illiteracy. In this study, emotional and behavioral problems of Moroccan immigrant children were compared to those of Dutch native children and Turkish immigrant children.Methods:Our samples consisted of 819 Moroccan immigrant children, 2,227 Dutch native children and 833 Turkish immigrant children between the age of 4 and 18. Parent, teacher and self-reports were obtained, using the Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher’s Report Form and Youth Self-Report.Results:Moroccan parents reported as many problems as Dutch parents, but less problems than Turkish parents. Teachers, however, presented a different picture: substantially more externalizing problems were reported for Moroccan pupils compared to Dutch and Turkish pupils. Moroccan adolescents themselves reported less problems than Dutch and Turkish adolescents.Conclusions:The effects of migration on children and adolescents of two populations with a similar migration history and religion can be rather different. Problem levels vary widely with the informant questioned. The results of the present study may reflect true differences in children’s behavior, both across ethnic groups and across the contexts of home and school. Perceptual biases, social desirability in answering patterns and differences in thresholds to report problem behaviors may also be responsible for the observed differences.

Preventing Disruptive Behavior in Elementary Schoolchildren: Impact of a Universal Classroom-Based Intervention.

A population-based, randomized universal classroom intervention trial for the prevention of disruptive behavior (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, oppositional defiant problems, and conduct problems) is described. Impact on developmental trajectories in young elementary schoolchildren was studied. Three trajectories were identified in children with high, intermediate, or low levels of problems on all 3 disruptive behaviors at baseline. The intervention had a positive impact on the development of all disruptive behavior problems in children with intermediate levels of these problems at baseline. Effect sizes of mean difference at outcome were medium or small. In children with the highest levels of disruptive behavior at baseline, a positive impact of the intervention was found for conduct problems.

Patterns of Psychological Acculturation in Adult and Adolescent Moroccan Immigrants Living in the Netherlands

Psychological acculturation patterns within a Moroccan adult and adolescent population in the Netherlands were determined through latent class analysis. The Psychological Acculturation Scale (PAS) was adapted, and strong psychometric properties were demonstrated. We found Dutch and Moroccan Psychological Acculturation Subscales (D-PAS; M-PAS). Three classes with similar patterns of acculturation were revealed for both populations. One class showed medium scores on the D-PAS and M-PAS items and one class revealed a pattern with high scores on the M-PAS and medium to high scores on the D-PAS items. The third class was characterized by low scores on the D-PAS and high scores on the M-PAS items. These acculturation classes were shown to be meaningful constructs and yield detailed information about acculturation.

Comparison of self-reported emotional and behavioral problems in Turkish immigrant, Dutch and Turkish adolescents.

Abstract.Objective:The aim of this study was to compare self-reported emotional and behavioral problems for Turkish immigrant, native Dutch and native Turkish adolescents.Method:A total of 379 Turkish immigrant adolescents living in the Netherlands, and 1,039 Dutch adolescents from the general population completed the Dutch translation of the Youth Self-Report (YSR); 2,151 Turkish adolescents from the general population completed the Turkish translation of the YSR; parents of Turkish immigrant adolescents filled in the Turkish translation of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18).Results:Turkish immigrant adolescents scored themselves significantly higher than Dutch adolescents on five of the 11 YSR syndromes, most markedly on the Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn and Internalizing scales. Dutch adolescents scored themselves higher than immigrant adolescents on the Somatic Complaints and Delinquent Behavior scales. Turkish immigrant adolescents scored themselves higher than Turkish adolescents on five of the 11 scales, most markedly on the Delinquent Behavior scale. Total problems scores for Turkish immigrant adolescents were higher than for Dutch and Turkish adolescents. Turkish immigrant adolescents scored themselves higher than their parents assessed them on seven of the 11 scales.Conclusion:Turkish immigrant adolescents reported more problems in comparison to their Dutch and native Turkish peers. Different patterns of parent-child interaction, family values and delay of Dutch language skills are considered to be responsible for these differences in scores.

Predictors of self-reported problem behaviours in Turkish immigrant and Dutch adolescents in the Netherlands

BACKGROUND Although many studies have compared psychopathology in different cultures, not much is known about factors that contribute to the observed differences. METHODS We compared self-reported emotional and behavioural problems in 363 Turkish immigrant and 1098 Dutch adolescents in the Netherlands and we evaluated the contribution of adolescent, parent, family and stress-related factors to the observed ethnic differences. Data were drawn from the Dutch version of the Youth Self-Report (YSR), as well as from Dutch and Turkish parental questionnaires. RESULTS Turkish girls scored higher on four of the eight YSR syndrome-scales, on the Internalising broadband scale and on total problems than Dutch girls. Turkish boys scored higher on three syndrome scales and on the Internalising scale, but scored less on Delinquent Behaviour than their Dutch peers. Ethnic differences for both sexes were most pronounced on the Withdrawn and Anxious/Depressed scales. Socio-economic measures, in particular education of the parents, contributed most to the explanation of ethnic differences on the Somatic Complaints scale for girls and Social Problem and Internalising scales for boys. On most scales, however, ethnic differences could not be explained by other factors. The distribution of some factors appeared to be more favourable (i.e., less frequent) for Turkish than for Dutch youths, such as referral of family members to mental health services. CONCLUSIONS Low educational levels of the parents play an important, yet not an exclusive role in explaining cross-cultural differences in emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents. In particular, differences in Withdrawn and Anxious/Depressed behaviour could not be explained by non-cultural factors. This study offers starting-points for future research on cultural-specific predictors of psychopathology in immigrants.

Predicting externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands

BackgroundAlthough an increasing proportion of the population in Western countries originates from non-Western parts of the world, little research has been conducted on predictors of externalizing problems in immigrant adolescent samples. This study on the predictors of externalizing problems in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands was aimed to contribute to the knowledge in this field.MethodsWe obtained 415 parent-reports, 376 self-reports and 238 teacher-reports on problem behavior in a general population sample of randomly selected 11- to 18-year-old Moroccan immigrant adolescents, using the Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report and Teacher’s Report Form.ResultsThe data revealed a clear relation between externalizing problems and several child (gender, internalizing problems), proximal family (parental monitoring and affection, support from father and mother, and parent–child conflict), contextual family (conflicts between parents about parenting, destructive communication between parents, and total number of life-events), school/peer (problems at school, involvement with deviant peers, hanging out), and migration variables (adolescent’s perceived discrimination). Hardly any association was observed between externalizing problems and parental psychopathology, and between externalizing problems and global family variables (e.g., family employment level). Most findings matched results found in earlier studies on non-immigrant youth.ConclusionsOur results suggest that the child, school/peer, and proximal family factors are essential in models predicting the development of externalizing behavior. The impact of the migration factor on externalizing problems turned out to be relatively small.

Paternal Depressive Symptoms During Pregnancy Are Related to Excessive Infant Crying

OBJECTIVE: Excessive infant crying, or infantile colic, is a common and often stress-inducing problem for parents that can ultimately result in child abuse. From previous research it is known that maternal depression is related to excessive crying, but so far little is known about the influence of paternal depression. METHODS: In a prospective, population-based study, we obtained information on both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms at 20 weeks of pregnancy by using the Brief Symptom Inventory. Parental depressive symptoms were related to excessive crying in 4426 two-month-old infants. The definition of excessive crying was based on the widely used Wessels criteria (ie, crying >3 hours for >3 days in the past week). RESULTS: After adjustment for depressive symptoms of the mother and relevant confounders, we found a 1.29 (95% confidence interval: 1.09–1.52) higher risk of excessive infant crying per SD of paternal depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that paternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy might be a risk factor for excessive infant crying. This finding could be related to genetic transmission, interaction of a father with lasting depressive symptoms with the infant, or related indirectly through contextual stressors such as marital, familial, or economic distress.

Teacher-reported problem behaviour in Turkish immigrant and Dutch children: A cross-cultural comparison

Objective: To compare problem behaviour in Turkish immigrant children living in the Netherlands versus problem behaviour in Dutch children from the general population as reported by teachers.

Problem Behavior and Acculturation in Moroccan Immigrant Adolescents in the Netherlands Effects of Gender and Parent-Child Conflict

The gender specificity of the relation between acculturation and problem behavior in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands was examined. Three previously identified classes of adolescents with similar patterns of acculturation were used: an integrated, separated, and ambivalent class. Girls with an ambivalent acculturation pattern showed more problems than the other girls on parent- and adolescent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior. For boys, no effects of acculturation on problem behavior were found. The high number of conflicts between parents and their ambivalently acculturated daughters partly explained the relation between acculturation and problem behavior. The findings emphasized that gender and parent—child conflict should be considered when attempting to understand the complex relation between acculturation and problem behavior.

Factors associated with problem behaviors in Turkish immigrant children in the Netherlands

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between child, parent, family/support, and stress variables and problem behaviors in Turkish immigrant children in the Netherlands. Methods: Parents of 833 children were interviewed and administered a Turkish version of the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 4 through 18 and a Turkish immigrant assessment questionnaire. Results: Increased integration (i.e., children belonging to a second generation of immigrants, older children) generally reduced the risk for problem behaviors, while frequent arguments, divorce, psychological problems, and convictions/incarcerations increased the risk for problem behaviors. Conclusions: Results indicate that problem behaviors are associated with the high level of separation faced by Turkish immigrant families and that more integration leads to lower levels of problem behavior. Additionally, migration history alone does not contribute to problem behavior. Factors in the family (e.g., quarrels, divorce, conviction) associated with problem behaviors in Turkish immigrants are similar to those found in Dutch and American populations. Future studies could examine predictors of problem behaviors in other culturally separated immigrant groups in the Netherlands, and in Turkish immigrant groups in other countries.