António Castro Fonseca

Syndrome dimensions of the Child Behavior Checklist and the Teacher Report Form : A critical empirical evaluation

The construct representation of the cross-informant model of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher Report Form (TRF) was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Samples were collected in seven different countries. The results are based on 13,226 parent ratings and 8893 teacher ratings. The adequacy of fit for the cross-informant model was established on the basis of three approaches: conventional rules of fit, simulation, and comparison with other models. The results indicated that the cross-informant model fits these data poorly. These results were consistent across countries, informants, and both clinical and population samples. Since inadequate empirical support for the cross-informant syndromes and their differentiation was found, the construct validity of these syndrome dimensions is questioned.

Personality and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: an enquiry into Eysenck's and Gray's theories

Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses derived from Eysencks and Grays theories of personality regarding antisocial behavior. For this purpose the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Junior) (EPQ-Junior) and a card task aimed at measuring sensitivity to reward were used in each of the studies. The first study compared a group of juvenile delinquents with a group of nondelinquents and the second study compared a group of severely conduct-disordered children with a group of normal children. The results did not support Eysencks claim that delinquents score higher than their normal counterparts on extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. Some support was found for the hypothesis derived from Grays theory: Children and adolescents with severe antisocial behavior were more sensitive to rewards than their normal counterparts.

Cross-Cultural Issues

Children’s fears can be defined as strong emotional reactions to actual or imaginary dangers. Most of them are common adaptive responses that serve to protect the individual from potential harm, and they tend to decrease or cease within a short period of time. New fears emerge as children become more mobile and as they appreciate social as opposed to physical threats to their well-being. The incidence of fears and their evolution have been well documented in numerous studies over the last 60 years (for reviews, see King, Hamilton, & Ollendick, 1988; Marks, 1987; Morris & Kratochwill, 1983; Smith, 1979).

Parent–Teacher Agreement on Children's Problems in 21 Societies

Parent–teacher cross-informant agreement, although usually modest, may provide important clinical information. Using data for 27,962 children from 21 societies, we asked the following: (a) Do parents report more problems than teachers, and does this vary by society, age, gender, or type of problem? (b) Does parent–teacher agreement vary across different problem scales or across societies? (c) How well do parents and teachers in different societies agree on problem item ratings? (d) How much do parent–teacher dyads in different societies vary in within-dyad agreement on problem items? (e) How well do parents and teachers in 21 societies agree on whether the childs problem level exceeds a deviance threshold? We used five methods to test agreement for Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Teachers Report Form (TRF) ratings. CBCL scores were higher than TRF scores on most scales, but the informant differences varied in magnitude across the societies studied. Cross-informant correlations for problem scale scores varied moderately across societies studied and were significantly higher for Externalizing than Internalizing problems. Parents and teachers tended to rate the same items as low, medium, or high, but within-dyad item agreement varied widely in every society studied. In all societies studied, both parental noncorroboration of teacher-reported deviance and teacher noncorroboration of parent-reported deviance were common. Our findings underscore the importance of obtaining information from parents and teachers when evaluating and treating children, highlight the need to use multiple methods of quantifying cross-informant agreement, and provide comprehensive baselines for patterns of parent–teacher agreement across 21 societies.

Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: The clinical phenomenology and classification of child and adolescent anxiety

Introduction Anxiety problems have been recognized and discussed throughout the ages under various expressions and from different perspectives. Yet, their study as a specific form of childhood and adolescence psychopathology was largely neglected prior to the second half of the twentieth century. Only during the last 50 years have consistent efforts been made in psychology and psychiatry towards a better understanding of child and adolescent anxiety and its disorders (see Treffers & Silverman, Chapter 1, this volume). The amount of information that has accumulated is now considerable, and shows that anxiety disorders in young people are one of the most common and debilitating forms of psychopathology, constituting a heavy social and economic burden (Bodden, Dirksen, & Bogels, 2008). Children and adolescents with these conditions are at an increased risk of future depression, poor school adjustment, substance abuse, and other problems in adulthood, including anxiety disorders (Kim-Cohen, Caspi, Moffitt, Harrington, Milne, & Poulton, 2003). The conceptualization and diagnosis of these disorders have typically relied on theories, methods, and instruments designed for adults. However, new advances in developmental psychology and psychopathology highlighted the plasticity and individual variation in the patterns of anxiety across life as well as the existence of multiple factors contributing to their continuities and discontinuities (Feng, Shaw, & Silk, 2008; Sweeney & Pine, 2004). This has led to the development of new instruments and strategies, more appropriate to account for the special features of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. (Less)

O Problema da Crueldade Contra Animais na Infância: Suas Dimensões e Consequências

This paper is aimed at examining the hypothesis of a link between animal cruelty in childhood and antisocial behaviour in late adolescence. In the first part, we present a brief literature review on that link whereas in the second part we discuss data from a Portuguese study on the same issue. At the end, suggestions are made for future research and intervention work in this field.

Os malefícios do tabaco na infância e na adolescência

Although the negative effects of youth and adult smoking is well documented this issue has been less often addressed in childhood and adolescence. This study aimed at examining to which extent young people with early onset smoking were at increased risk of poor psychosocial outcomes in late adolescence. Additionally, extensive information was provided regarding prevalence rates and patterns of development of smoking throughout adolescence. The data came from a study, in which a large cohort of community children were followed up from elementary school until the time they were expected to graduate from secondary school. The outcome measures included emotional problems, delinquency and antisocial behaviour, substance use, educational achievement, satisfaction with life, family dynamics and general psychopathology. Results showed that cigarette smoking was already reported in elementary school and increased progressively across adolescence to become almost normative at the age of 17-18 years. Moreover, those with early onset smoking were at an increased risk of antisocial behaviour, substance use (including smoking), emotional problems, school difficulties as well as in several domains of psychopathology. However, most of these differences disappeared when we controlled for other problems such as antisocial behaviour and attention problems/hyperactivity reported by teachers in elementary school. No consistent differences were found between those with early onset smoking and late onset smoking. In short, young people who engage in early smoking seem at an increased risk of subsequent forms of maladjustment; but, with few exceptions, such adverse outcomes are better explained by other childhood factors.

Consumo de droga durante a adolescência em escolas portuguesas

This paper examined the prevalence rates of substance use, and its relationship with other associated problems, in Portuguese adolescents. Data were collected from a longitudinal study of two large cohorts of pupils, who were first assessed in elementary schools and afterwards followed-up until the age o 17-18 years. Most information was collected through self-report questionnaires. Results showed that substance use increases during adolescence both among boys and girls, so that at the end of that period, most participants reported some kind of drug experimentation (generally of a licit type). In contrast, the involvement with illicit-drug was less frequent, particularly in early adolescence. Similarly, few participants reported drug use with some intensity. In general, these prevalence rates are lower than those reported in other studies carried out in Portugal and abroad. Another interesting finding was the moderate-to-strong relationship between substance use and other forms of deviant behaviour (including antisocial attitudes, low self-control or low academic achievement). This seems to provide partial support to the view that drug use is an expression of an underlying antisocial tendency or trait. Finally, no strong significant relationship was found between drug use and emotional problems or socio-demographic variables, including gender. This seems to contradict the idea, rather generalized, that substance use represents a strategy to cope with emotional difficulties. From these data several implications are drawn for further research as well as for the development of new intervention programs in this field.

Desonestidade nos trabalhos escolares: dados de um estudo português

This study was aimed at examining the prevalence and changes in cheating, from middle childhood until late adolescence. For this purpose, two cohorts of students were followed up across adolescence, and their academic cheating was assessed at different time points. Results showed that self-reported academic dishonesty increased with age and school grade. In the secondary school, the large majority of students reported cheating once or twice during previous year. However, only a small number has done that several times or in a consistent way, across all assessment periods. Systematic differences, between students who reported cheating and those who did not, were found only in antisocial behaviour and substance use. These findings suggest that academic cheating is just another different manifestation of a common underlying antisocial tendency or trait. However, in addition to that, several other situational and individual factors may contribute to the explanation of academic cheating, in these ages.

Testing Syndromes of Psychopathology in Parent and Youth Ratings Across Societies

As societies become increasingly diverse, mental health professionals need instruments for assessing emotional, behavioral, and social problems in terms of constructs that are supported within and across societies. Building on decades of research findings, multisample alignment confirmatory factor analyses tested an empirically based 8-syndrome model on parent ratings across 30 societies and youth self-ratings across 19 societies. The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 6–18 and Youth Self-Report for Ages 11–18 were used to measure syndromes descriptively designated as Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Social Problems, Thought Problems, Attention Problems, Rule-Breaking Behavior, and Aggressive Behavior. For both parent ratings (N = 61,703) and self-ratings (N = 29,486), results supported aggregation of problem items into 8 first-order syndromes for all societies (configural invariance), plus the invariance of item loadings (metric invariance) across the majority of societies. Supported across many societies in both parent and self-ratings, the 8 syndromes offer a parsimonious phenotypic taxonomy with clearly operationalized assessment criteria. Mental health professionals in many societies can use the 8 syndromes to assess children and youths for clinical, training, and scientific purposes.