Sanne Barbara Geeraerts1, Marike Hester Francisca Deutz2, Maja Deković2, Tessa Bunte3, Kim Schoemaker4, Kimberly Andrews Espy5, Peter Prinzie6, Anneloes van Baar2, Walter Matthys7. 1. Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Electronic address: s.b.geeraerts@uu.nl. 2. Utrecht University, the Netherlands. 3. Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht. 4. VU University, Amsterdam. 5. University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. 6. Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 7. Utrecht University, the Netherlands; Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Children with concurrent impairments in regulating affect, behavior, and cognition can be identified with the Anxious/Depressed, Aggressive Behavior, and Attention Problems scales (or AAA scales) of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Jointly, these scales form the Dysregulation Profile (DP). Despite persuasive evidence that DP is a marker for severe developmental problems, no consensus exists on the preferred conceptualization and operationalization of DP in preschool years. We addressed this concern by testing and validating the factor structure of DP in a group of predominantly clinically referred preschool children. METHOD: Participants were 247 children (195 boys and 52 girls), aged 3.5 to 5.5 years. Children were assessed at baseline and 18 months later, using parent and teacher reports, a clinical interview with parents, behavioral observations, and neuropsychological tasks. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a bifactor model, with a general DP factor and 3 specific factors representing the AAA scales, fitted the data better than a second-order model and a one-factor model for both parent-reported and teacher-reported child problem behavior. Criterion validity analyses showed that the DP factor was concurrently and longitudinally associated with markers of dysregulation and clinically relevant criteria, whereas the specific factors representing the AAA scales were more differentially related to those criteria. CONCLUSION: DP is best conceptualized as a broad syndrome of dysregulation that exists in addition to the specific syndromes as represented by the AAA scales. Implications for researchers and clinicians are discussed.
OBJECTIVE:Children with concurrent impairments in regulating affect, behavior, and cognition can be identified with the Anxious/Depressed, Aggressive Behavior, and Attention Problems scales (or AAA scales) of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Jointly, these scales form the Dysregulation Profile (DP). Despite persuasive evidence that DP is a marker for severe developmental problems, no consensus exists on the preferred conceptualization and operationalization of DP in preschool years. We addressed this concern by testing and validating the factor structure of DP in a group of predominantly clinically referred preschool children. METHOD:Participants were 247 children (195 boys and 52 girls), aged 3.5 to 5.5 years. Children were assessed at baseline and 18 months later, using parent and teacher reports, a clinical interview with parents, behavioral observations, and neuropsychological tasks. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a bifactor model, with a general DP factor and 3 specific factors representing the AAA scales, fitted the data better than a second-order model and a one-factor model for both parent-reported and teacher-reported child problem behavior. Criterion validity analyses showed that the DP factor was concurrently and longitudinally associated with markers of dysregulation and clinically relevant criteria, whereas the specific factors representing the AAA scales were more differentially related to those criteria. CONCLUSION:DP is best conceptualized as a broad syndrome of dysregulation that exists in addition to the specific syndromes as represented by the AAA scales. Implications for researchers and clinicians are discussed.
Authors: Marike H F Deutz; Qinxin Shi; Helen G M Vossen; Jorg Huijding; Peter Prinzie; Maja Deković; Anneloes L van Baar; Steven Woltering Journal: Psychol Assess Date: 2018-06-21
Authors: Marike H F Deutz; Sanne B Geeraerts; Jay Belsky; Maja Deković; Anneloes L van Baar; Peter Prinzie; Praveetha Patalay Journal: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Date: 2020-02
Authors: Amanda N Nili; Sheila Krogh-Jespersen; Susan B Perlman; Ryne Estabrook; Amelie Petitclerc; Margaret J Briggs-Gowan; Phil R Sherlock; Elizabeth S Norton; Laurie S Wakschlag Journal: Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol Date: 2022-07-15
Authors: Marike H F Deutz; Sanne B Geeraerts; Anneloes L van Baar; Maja Deković; Peter Prinzie Journal: Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2015-07-31 Impact factor: 4.785