DISTRESS SYMPTOMS AMONG URBAN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS - A PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE CHECKLIST OF CHILDRENS DISTRESS SYMPTOMS

Objectives: To explore the factor structure of the Check-list of Child ren's Distress Symptoms (CCDS); to examine whether there is a higher-o rder single construct underlying the CCDS measure; and, to assess the association between children's distress symptoms, as reflected by the CCDS factors, and children's self-reported exposure to community viole nce (both victimization and witness events). Designs: Community-based cross-sectional survey. Settings: Ten public housing developments in a n eastern metropolis. Participants: A total of 349 low-income urban Af rican American children and adolescents (198 males; 151 females), 9 th rough 15 years of age. Measures: Children's distress symptoms, exposur e to community violence, and selected demographic information includin g parental education, parental employment status, perceived health sta tus, and school performance; Analysis: Exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the factorial structure of the CCDS measure. S econd-order confirmatory factor analysis was performed to determine if there is a higher-order single underlying construct among CCDS factor s. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed to assess the relati onship between exposure to violence and CCDS factors. Major Findings: The exploratory factor analysis yielded a 6-factor solution for the CC DS measure with satisfactory internal consistency. The confirmatory fa ctor model with a single second-order construct yielded a good fit to the data. In general, youth who experienced violent victimization or w itnessed violent events reported higher levels of distress symptoms th an those who did not. Distress symptoms labeled as ''intrusive thought s,'' ''distraction,'' and ''lack of belongingness'' were most frequent ly associated with exposure to violence. Distress symptoms did not dif fer on the basis of sex or age. Conclusions: The CCDS has utility as a measure of distress symptoms among urban African American children an d adolescents. Whereas analysis provided support for a single higher-o rder construct, using the proposed 6-factor structure should enhance o ur understanding of the psychological impact of exposure to violence o n youth and contribute to more effective intervention efforts.