BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN 5-YEAR-OLD TO 11-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES

Citation
M. Raadal et al., BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN 5-YEAR-OLD TO 11-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 33(7), 1994, pp. 1017-1025
Citations number
32
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry,Psychiatry
ISSN journal
08908567
Volume
33
Issue
7
Year of publication
1994
Pages
1017 - 1025
Database
ISI
SICI code
0890-8567(1994)33:7<1017:BPI5T1>2.0.ZU;2-Y
Abstract
Objective: The aims of the present study were to survey the Child Beha vior Checklist (CBCL) scores (behavioral section) in a nonclinical pop ulation of US urban children from low-income families and to compare t he distribution and pattern of scores with the normative data in the C BCL manual (1991). Method: The sample consisted of 890 low-income chil dren and a mother or female guardian selected randomly from among Seat tle public school students aged 5 to 11 years. Results: In this sample the total CBCL score as well as all subscale scores were significantl y higher than the norms. The proportion of children who scored in the clinical/borderline range was also higher than the norm. Conclusions: These findings support previous work showing that poverty is a risk fa ctor for mental distress in children. They also raise questions about the validity of the CBCL norms for screening or research purpose for l ow-income families.