Abstract
The Child Behavior Checklist for children 6 to 18 (CBCL/6-18) is a widely used, standardized parent rating scale. However, few studies have tested the psychometric properties of this instrument in the Arab world despite the great need for such instruments to support the identification and education of children with emotional, behavioral, and social problems in these countries. In this study, we examined the configural invariance and reliability of the core items of the CBCL present in both of its editions using the Arabic translation of the CBCL/6-18 and a sample of 1,360 elementary school children in Qatar. Results from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the factor structure of Achenbach’s eight-syndrome scales of the CBCL/6-18 for our sample in (a) its overall fit, (b) pattern of factor loadings, (c) syndrome correlations, and (d) comparability of results in other societies. Internal consistency was high. Categorization of the sample as normal, borderline, and clinical using standard scoring produces proportions roughly in line with expectations, but points to the need for local norms and validation of the instrument prior to its clinical use in Qatar.
|
Abdel-Fattah, M. M., Asal, A. A., Al-Asmary, S. M., Al-Helali, N. S., Al-Jabban, T. M., Arafa, M. A. (2004). Emotional and behavioral problems among male Saudi schoolchildren and adolescents prevalence and risk factors. German Journal of Psychiatry, 7, 1–9. Google Scholar | |
|
Abdou-Hatab, F. A.-L. H. (1997). Psychology from Egyptian, Arab, and Islamic perspectives: Unfulfilled hopes and hopeful fulfillment. European Psychologist, 2, 356–365. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Achenbach, T. M. (1991). Integrative guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR and TRF profiles. Burlington: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont. Google Scholar | |
|
Achenbach, T. M. (1992). Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3 and 1992 Profile. Burlington: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont. Google Scholar | |
|
Achenbach, T. M., Rescorla, L. A. (2001). Manual for the ASEBA school-age forms & profiles. Burlington: Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, University of Vermont. Google Scholar | |
|
Albright, J. J., Hun, M. P. (2009). Confirmatory factor analysis using Amos, LISREL, Mplus, and SAS/STAT CALIS (Working paper). The University Information Technology Services (UITS), Center for Statistical and Mathematical Computing, Indiana University. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~statmath/stat/all/cfa/index.html Google Scholar | |
|
Al-Gelban, K. S. (2007). Depression, anxiety and stress among Saudi adolescent school boys. Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, 127, 33–37. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Al-Hendawi, M., Keller, C. (2014). Beyond the walls of the school: Risk factors and children and youth in the Gulf. Near and Middle Eastern Journal of Research in Education, 2014, 1. doi:10.5339/nmejre.2014.1 Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Al-Merekhi, N., Al-Buainain, D. (2008). Statistical overview of people with disabilities in the State of Qatar. Doha, Qatar: The Supreme Council for Family Affairs. Google Scholar | |
|
Al-Thani, H. (2006). Disability in the Arab region: Current situation and prospects. Journal of Disability and Educational Development, 3, 4–9. Google Scholar | |
|
Auerbach, J. L., Yirmiya, N., Kamel, F. N. (1996). Behavior problems in Israeli Jewish and Palestinian preschool children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 25, 398–405. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indices in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Bérubé, R. L., Achenbach, T. M. (2004). Bibliography of published studies using ASEBA instruments: 2004 edition. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families. Google Scholar | |
|
Bérubé, R. L., Achenbach, T. M. (2005). Bibliography of published studies using ASEBA instruments: 2005 edition. Burlington: Research Center for Children, Youth, and Families, University of Vermont. Google Scholar | |
|
Brown, T. A. (2006). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Cheong, Y. F., Raudenbush, S. W. (2000). Measurement and structural models for children’s problem behaviors. Psychological Methods, 5, 477–495. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Dumenci, L., Erol, N., Achenbach, T. M., Simsek, Z. (2004). Measurement structure of the Turkish translation of the Child Behavior Checklist using confirmatory factor analytic approaches to validation of syndromal constructs. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 32, 335–340. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Eapen, V., Al-Sabosy, M., Saeed, M., Sabri, S. (2004). Child psychiatric disorders in a primary care Arab population. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 34, 51–60. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Education Institute . (2009, June). Additional educational support needs. Doha, Qatar: Author. Google Scholar | |
|
El-Defrawi, M. H. (1997). Psychiatric disorders in a sample of Egyptian preschool children. Egyptian Journal of Psychiatry, 20, 271–282. Google Scholar | |
|
Evaluation Institute . (2012). Schools and schooling in Qatar 2011–2012. Doha, Qatar: Supreme Education Council. Google Scholar | |
|
Fowler, F. J. (2013). Applied Social Research Methods Series: Survey research methods (5th ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE. Google Scholar | |
|
Gearing, R. E., Schwalbe, C. S., MacKenzie, M. J., Brewer, K. B., Ibrahim, R. W., Olimat, H. S., . . . Al-Krenawi, A. (2012). Adaptation and translation of mental health interventions in Middle East Arab countries: A systematic review of barriers to and strategies for effective treatment implementation. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 59, 671–681. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Hartman, C. A., Hox, H., Auerbach, J., Erol, N., Fonseca, A. C., Mellenbergh, G. J., . . . Sergeant, J. A. (1999). Syndrome dimensions of the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form: A critical empirical evaluation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 1095–1116. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Hu, L., Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Ivanova, M. Y., Achenbach, T. M., Dumenci, L., Rescorla, L. A., Almqvist, F., Weintraub, S., Verhulst, F. C. (2007). Testing the 8-syndrome structure of the child behavior checklist in 30 societies. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 36, 405–417. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Landrum, T. J. (2011). Emotional and behavioral disorders. In Kauffman, J. M., Hallahan, D. P. (Eds.), Handbook of special education (pp. 209–220). New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Lane, K. L., Menzies, H. M., Oakes, W. P., Kalberg, J. R. (2013). Positive behavior support: A framework for preventing and responding to learning and behavior problems. In Cook, B. G., Tankersley, M. (Eds.), Research-based practices in special education (pp. 127–140). Boston, MA: Pearson. Google Scholar | |
|
Loughry, M., Ager, A., Flouri, E., Khamis, V., Afana, A. H., Qouta, S. (2006). The impact of structured activities among Palestinian children in a time of conflict. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47, 1211–1218. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01656.x Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
McMillan, J. H. (2008). Educational research: Fundamentals for the consumer (5th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education. Google Scholar | |
|
Muthén, L. K., Muthén, B. O. (2007). Mplus user’s guide (5th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Author. Google Scholar | |
|
The Planning Council, The General Secretariat . (2005). Annual statistical abstract. Doha, Qatar: Author. Google Scholar | |
|
Rescorla, L., Achenbach, T., Ivanova, M. Y., Dumenci, L., Almqvist, F., Bilenberg, N., . . .Verhulst, F. (2007). Behavioral and emotional problems reported by parents of children ages 6 to 16 in 31 societies. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 15, 130–142. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Rescorla, L., Ivanova, M. Y., Achenbach, T. M., Begovac, I., Chahed, M., Drugli, M. B., . . . Zhang, E. Y. (2012). International epidemiology of child and adolescent psychopathology II: Integration and applications of dimensional findings from 44 societies. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51, 1273–1283.e8. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Salvia, J., Ysseldyke, J. E., Bolt, S. (2007). Assessment in special and inclusive education (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Google Scholar | |
|
Sulaiman, S. O. Y., Bhugra, D., De Silva, P. (2001). The development of a culturally sensitive symptom checklist for depression in Dubai. Transcultural Psychiatry, 38, 219–229. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Templin, J. (2013). Latent trait measurement and structural equation models; Spring 2013. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Retrieved from http://psych.unl.edu/jtemplin/teaching/sem/sem13psyc948/ Google Scholar | |
|
Tucker, L. R., Lewis, C. (1973). The reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis. Psychometrika, 38, 1–10. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Yu, C. Y., Muthén, B. (2002). Evaluation of model fit indices for latent variable models with categorical and continuous outcomes (Technical report). Los Angeles: Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, University of California at Los Angeles. Google Scholar | |
|
Yunis, F., Eapen, V., Zoubeidi, T., Yousef, S. (2007). Psychometric properties of the Child Behavior Checklist/2-3 in an Arab population. Psychological Reports, 100, 771–776. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |

