scholarly journals Using Ideographic Measurement to Complement Standardized Symptom Questionnaires: Assessing Top Problems and Internalizing Symptoms in Kenyan Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akash Wasil ◽  
Katherine E. Venturo-Conerly ◽  
Sarah Gillespie ◽  
Tom L Osborn ◽  
John R. Weisz
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Economic Problem ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Standardized Measures ◽  
Cognitive Problem

Children and adolescents in non-western settings and low-resource environments may experience distinctive problems and psychiatric symptoms. Researchers and policymakers often aim to understand those problems and symptoms using standardized nomothetic assessment tools. These tools tend to be validated on western samples and may “miss” problems that are prevalent and important in non-western cultures. Brief, low-cost, idiographic assessment tools may help identify these concerns, usefully complementing traditional measurements. To examine this idea, we applied the Top Problems Assessment (Weisz et al., 2011) and two standardized measures of depression and anxiety to 100 adolescents from Kibera, a resource-poor urban settlement in Kenya. Data were collected from early June to July of 2018. The Top Problems Assessment asked students to identify their three most important problems. We then a) applied thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) to identify the most frequently reported types of problems and b) analyzed the depressive and anxiety symptoms most frequently endorsed on the standardized measures. Standardized assessment revealed that worrying and difficulty concentrating were the most commonly reported symptoms. On the Top Problems Assessment, 61% of the sample reported a social problem, 38% a cognitive problem, and 35% an economic problem. By contrast, emotional and behavioral problems assessed via the standardized measures were reported as top problems by only 17% of the sample. The Top Problems Assessment yielded specific problems faced by Kenyan youth that may not have emerged through a routine assessment using standardized measures. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that the Top Problems Assessment can be used to identify locally relevant concerns that may be missed by commonly used standardized measures. Overall, our findings suggest that idiographic assessments like the Top Problems Assessment can produce culturally relevant information and usefully complement standardized measurement tools.

scholarly journals The effects of maternal depression on their perception of emotional and behavioral problems of their internationally adopted children

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista Liskola ◽  
Hanna Raaska ◽  
Helena Lapinleimu ◽  
Jari Lipsanen ◽  
Jari Sinkkonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Externalizing Symptoms ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
P Value ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Maternal Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Adoptive Mothers ◽  
Internationally Adopted Children

Abstract Background Even though child psychopathology assessment guidelines emphasize comprehensive multi-method, multimodal, and multi-informant methodologies, maternal-report symptom-rating scales often serve as the predominant source of information. Research has shown that parental mood symptomatology affects their reports of their offspring’s psychopathology. For example, the depression-distortion hypothesis suggests that maternal depression promotes a negative bias in mothers’ perceptions of their children’s behavioral and emotional problems. We investigated this difference of perception between adoptive mothers and internationally adopted children. Most previous studies suffer from the potential bias caused by the fact that parents and children share genetic risks. Methods Data were derived from the Finnish Adoption (FinAdo) survey study (a subsample of adopted children aged between 9 and 12 years, n = 222). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to assess emotional and behavioral problems and competences of the adopted children. The CBCL was filled in by the adopted children and the adoptive mothers, respectively. Maternal depressive symptoms were measured using the short version of the General Health Questionnaire. Results On average, mothers reported less total CBCL symptoms in their children than the children themselves (0.25 vs 0.38, p-value < 0.01 for difference). Mothers’ depressive symptoms moderated the discrepancy in reporting internalizing symptoms (β = − 0.14 and p-value 0.01 for interaction) and the total symptoms scores (β = − 0.22 and p-value < 0.001 for interaction) and externalizing symptoms in girls in the CBCL. Limitations The major limitation of our study is its cross-sectional design and the fact that we only collected data in the form of questionnaires. Conclusions The results of our research support the depression-distortion hypothesis concerning the association of maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing symptoms and externalizing symptoms in girls in a sample without genetic bias

Cognitive Vulnerability and Stress for Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children and Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 272-284
Author(s):  
Isabella Soares Barreto ◽  
Maycoln Leoni Martins Teodoro ◽  
Priscilla Moreira Ohno ◽  
Mariana Verdolin Guilherme Froeseler
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Cognitive Vulnerability ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Moderate Risk ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Dysfunctional Cognitions

The present study investigated Beck’s cognitive diathesis-stress theory (1967, 1987) for the prediction of emotional and behavioral problems in childhood. The study included 218 participants aged 10 to 16 years (M = 12.38, SD = 1.16) who underwent two evaluations with an interval of 8.4 months between them. In the first evaluation, sample was divided according to the participants’ cognitive vulnerability (vulnerable, moderate, resilient) and in the second, by their experience of stressful events in recent months (low risk, moderate risk, high risk). The groups were compared by variation in the intensity of the symptoms over time. Results showed that high-risk cognitively vulnerable children had increased externalizing symptoms and children with moderate and high cognitive vulnerability had increased internalizing symptoms at Time 2. These results suggest the importance of considering dysfunctional cognitions and the existence of a certain level of stressful events for the development of psychopathology in childhood.

Family Relations, Stressful Events and Internalizing Symptoms in Adolescence: a Longitudinal Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Raquel Binsfeld Hess ◽  
Maycoln Leoni Martins Teodoro ◽  
Denise Falcke
Keyword(s):  
Peer Influence ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Internalizing Symptoms ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
The Family ◽  
One Year

AbstractThis study aimed to examine how emotional and behavioral problems of parents and children and the characteristics of family relationships can be predictors of internalizing symptoms manifested by children after one year. This was a quantitative research study, of the longitudinal type, with a one year interval between the first and second evaluation. Participants were 139 adolescents, and their parents, with ages ranged from 11 to 16 years (Mage = 12.90, SD = 1.07). The instruments used were: a Socio-Demographic Data Sheet, Youth Self-Report of 11 to 18 years old (YSR), Adult Self-Report of 18 to 59 years old (ASR), Familiogram (FG), the Family Climate Inventory (FCI) and Inventory of Stressful Events in Adolescence (ISEA). Results indicated that family relationships did not have a significant explanatory power in relation to internalizing symptoms of the adolescent after a year. Based on this study, it is possible to think that during adolescence, the power of the family to influence becomes more restricted in comparison with social and peer influence.

scholarly journals BPSD following traumatic brain injury

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-277
Author(s):  
Renato Anghinah ◽  
Fabio Rios Freire ◽  
Fernanda Coelho ◽  
Juliana Rhein Lacerda ◽  
Magali Taino Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Rehabilitation Service ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
The University

ABSTRACT Annually, 700,000 people are hospitalized with brain injury acquired after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Brazil. Objective: We aim to review the basic concepts related to TBI, and the most common Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) findings in moderate and severe TBI survivors. We also discussed our strategies used to manage such patients in the post-acute period. Methods: Fifteen TBI outpatients followed at the Center for Cognitive Rehabilitation Post-TBI of the Clinicas Hospital of the University of São Paulo were submitted to a neurological, neuropsychological, speech and occupational therapy evaluation, including the Mini-Mental State Examination. Rehabilitation strategies will then be developed, together with the interdisciplinary team, for each patient individually. Where necessary, the pharmacological approach will be adopted. Results: Our study will discuss options of pharmacologic treatment choices for cognitive, behavioral, or affective disorders following TBI, providing relevant information related to a structured cognitive rehabilitation service and certainly will offer an alternative for patients and families afflicted by TBI. Conclusion: Traumatic brain injury can cause a variety of potentially disabling psychiatric symptoms and syndromes. Combined behavioral and pharmacological strategies, in the treatment of a set of highly challenging behavioral problems, appears to be essential for good patient recovery.

Evaluation of a Comprehensive Assessment-Based Intervention for Secondary Students With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems

2020 ◽  
pp. 106342662090272
Author(s):  
Lee Kern ◽  
Steven W. Evans ◽  
Timothy J. Lewis ◽  
Talida M. State ◽  
Paras D. Mehta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Dropout Rate ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
School Level ◽  
High School Level ◽  
Standardized Measures ◽  
The Impact

Despite a high dropout rate and poor educational and posteducational outcomes, limited evidence-based practices have been validated with students at the high school level who have emotional and behavioral problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a multitreatment, assessment-based intervention package. Participants were 647 high-school-age students with both emotional/behavioral problems and impairment in school functioning. Using a randomized controlled trial, the intervention group showed significantly fewer disruptions, measured using direct observation. No significant differences were found in directly observed engagement or on standardized measures. However, in general, interventions were implemented with low frequency. Dosage effects were examined for classroom interventions and a social skills intervention (Interpersonal Skills Group [ISG]). Results indicated a dosage effect for ISG, reflected in standardized measures. Although implementation was low, teachers and staff rated practices that they implemented highly favorably.

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