Abstract
Comparisons of Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores from 31 societies (Rescorla et al. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 15:13–142 2007) supported the instrument’s multicultural robustness, but none of these societies was in South America. The present study tested the multicultural robustness of the 2001 CBCL using data from a national epidemiological survey in Uruguay. Participants were 1,374 6- to 11-year-olds recruited through 65 schools nationwide; 1,098 (80%) had received no mental health or special education services in the past year (non-referred group), whereas 276 (referred group) had been referred for mental health services, had repeated ≥2 grades, or had significant developmental disabilities. Mean item ratings, factor structure, and scale internal consistencies were very similar to findings reported by Rescorla et al. (Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 15:13–142 2007) and Ivanova et al. (Journal of Clinical Child and Adoloescent Psychology 36: 405–417 2007). Children from low SES school environments obtained higher problem scores, especially in the referred group. Gender, age, and referral status effects paralleled those in the U.S. Non-referred children obtained somewhat higher mean problem scores in Uruguay than in the U.S., but mean score differences between non-referred and referred children were smaller in Uruguay than the U.S. Findings supporting the CBCL’s multicultural robustness in a South American country extend the generalizability of findings reported by Rescorla et al. (Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 15:13–142 2007) for 31 societies.
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Acknowledgements
The epidemiological survey was financed by the Commission of Scientific Research (CSIC) of Uruguay and was declared an Educative Interest by the Department of Education and Culture. The authors wish to thank Prof. Manuel Bouvard, Victor Segalen II, Universidad de Bordeaux, (France), Cédric Galera (France), Prof. Ricardo Halpern (Brasil), and Prof. Adj. Dra. Sheila Henderson (Uruguay) for their contributions to the project.
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Viola, L., Garrido, G. & Rescorla, L. Testing Multicultural Robustness of the Child Behavior Checklist in a National Epidemiological Sample in Uruguay. J Abnorm Child Psychol 39, 897–908 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9500-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9500-z