L'échelle d'évaluation des dimensions du comportement - version parent : examen de la validité relative à un critère

L’Échelle d’évaluation des dimensions du comportement - version parent (EDC-P ; Poirier, Tremblay , Perreault, Morizot, Maranda et Freeston, 1998) est un outil destiné à détecter les troubles du comportement (TC) chez les enfants d’âge primaire. La présente étude examine la validité relative à un critère de l’instrument à l’aide d’un échantillon d’enfants en TC identifiés en milieu scolaire. Ainsi, 77 enfants sont évalués par un parent. Par ailleurs, 69 professeurs évaluent les mêmes enfants à l’aide de l’EDC destinée aux enseignants (EDC ; Bullock, Wilson, Poirier, Tremblay et Freeston, 1993). Les résultats des analyses de sensibilité et de spécificité et l’analyse discriminante indiquent que l’EDC-P classe correctement la majorité des enfants ordinaires et en TC. Pour ce qui est des analyses de fidélité inter-juges, les résultats concordent avec ceux typiquement observés. Cependant, en les comparant avec les résultats d’une étude récente employant les mêmes instruments (Baribault, Maranda, Morizot, Poirier et Verreault, 1996), l’accord entre les parents et les enseignants s’avère décevant. En somme, à la lumière des résultats disponibles, les propriétés psychométriques de l’EDC-P apparaissent satisfaisantes

Le développement de la personnalité de l'homme de l'adolescence au milieu de la vie : approches centrées sur les variables et sur les personnes

Thèse diffusée initialement dans le cadre d'un projet pilote des Presses de l'Université de Montréal/Centre d'édition numérique UdeM (1997-2008) avec l'autorisation de l'auteur

Agile low phase noise radio-frequency sine wave generator applied to experiments on ultracold atoms

We report on the frequency performance of a low cost (~500$) radio-frequency sine wave generator, using direct digital synthesis (DDS) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The output frequency of the device may be changed dynamically to any arbitrary value ranging from DC to 10 MHz without any phase slip. Sampling effects are substantially reduced by a high sample rate, up to 1 MHz, and by a large memory length, more than 2.10^5 samples. By using a low noise external oscillator to clock the DDS, we demonstrate a phase noise as low as that of the master clock, that is at the level of -113 dB.rad^2/Hz at 1 Hz from the carrier for an output frequency of 3.75 MHz. The device is successfully used to confine an ultracold atomic cloud of rubidium 87 in a RF-based trap, and there is no extra heating from the RF source.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Group-Based Symptom Trajectories in Indicated Prevention of Adolescent Depression

Background: Adolescent depression prevention research has focused on mean intervention outcomes, but has not considered heterogeneity in symptom course. Here, we empirically identify subgroups with distinct trajectories of depressive symptom change among adolescents enrolled in two indicated depression preven- tion trials and examine how cognitive-behavioral (CB) interventions and baseline predictors relate to trajectory membership. Methods: Six hundred thirty-one participants were assigned to one of three conditions: CB group intervention, CB bibliotherapy, and brochure control. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify trajectories of depressive symptoms from pretest to 2-year follow-up. We examined associations between class membership and conditions using chi- square tests and baseline predictors using multinomial regressions. Results: We identified four trajectories in the full sample. Qualitatively similar trajectories were found in each condition separately. Two trajectories of positive symptom course (low-declining, high-declining) had declining symptoms and were dis- tinguished by baseline symptom severity. Two trajectories of negative course (high-persistent, resurging), respectively, showed no decline in symptoms or de- cline followed by symptom reappearance. Participants in the brochure control condition were significantly more likely to populate the high-persistent trajectory relative to either CB condition and were significantly less likely to populate the low-declining trajectory relative to CB group. Several baseline factors predicted trajectory classes, but gender was the most informative prognostic factor, with males having increased odds of membership in a high-persistent trajectory rel- ative to other trajectories. Conclusions: Findings suggest that CB preventive interventions do not alter the nature of trajectories, but reduce the risk that adolescents follow a trajectory of chronically elevated symptoms

Adolescent Illicit Drug Use and Subsequent Academic and Psychosocial Adjustment : an Examination of Socially-Mediated Pathways

Background: Questions remain regarding the consequences of illicit drug use on adolescent adjustment and the nature of mechanisms that may explain these consequences. In this study, we examined whether early-onset illicit drug use predicts subsequent academic and psychosocial adjustment and whether associations are socially-mediated by decreased school engagement and increased peer deviancy. Method: 4885 adolescents were followed throughout secondary school. We used regressions to determine whether illicit drug use in grade 7 predicted academic achievement, school dropout, depressive symptoms, and conduct problems in grades 10–11, adjusting for potential confounders. We used path analysis to test whether significant associations were mediated by school engagement and peer deviancy in grade 8. Results: Illicit drug use predicted conduct problems and school dropout, but not academic achievement and depressive symptoms. The association between illicit drug use and conduct problems was fully mediated by increased peer deviancy. The association between illicit drug use and school dropout was partially mediated by increased peer deviancy, but remained mostly direct. No indirect association via decreased school engagement was found. Examination of reverse pathways revealed that conduct problems and academic achievement in grade 7 predicted drug use in grades 10–11. These associations were mediated by peer deviancy and school engagement (conduct problems only). Conclusion: Adolescent illicit drug use influences the risk of school dropout and conduct problems in part by contributing to deviant peer affiliation. Reciprocal social mediation characterizes the association between drug use and conduct problems. A reverse mechanism best explains the association with academic achievement

Adolescent Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms : co-development of Behavioral and Academic Problems

Purpose: Increasing evidence suggests the existence of heterogeneity in the development of depressive symptoms during adolescence, but little remains known regarding the implications of this heterogeneity for the development of commonly co-occurring problems. In this study, we derived trajectories of depressive symptoms in adolescents and examined the codevelopment of multiple behavioral and academic problems in these trajectories. Methods: Participants were 6,910 students from secondary schools primarily located in disadvantaged areas of Quebec (Canada) who were assessed annually from the age 12 to 16 years. Trajectories were identified using growth mixture modeling. The course of behavioral (delinquency, substance use) and academic adjustment (school liking, academic achievement) in trajectories was examined by deriving latent growth curves for each covariate conditional on trajectory membership. Results: We identified five trajectories of stable-low (68.1%), increasing (12.1%), decreasing (8.7%), transient (8.7%), and stable-high (2.4%) depressive symptoms. Examination of conditional latent growth curves revealed that the course of behavioral and academic problems closely mirrored the course of depressive symptoms in each trajectory. Conclusions: This pattern of results suggests that the course of depressive symptoms and other adjustment problems over time is likely to involve an important contribution of shared underlying developmental process(es)

Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire: Preliminary Validation with Spanish Adults

There are two major advantages of the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ) over other non-commercial short Five-Factor Model personality measures: widen conceptual breadth, and its use in both adolescents and adults. The aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of this questionnaire in an adult Spanish sample. Factor, convergent (using the NEO-PI-R), and criterion (using scales that assess happiness and alcohol consumption) validities, internal consistency as well as test-retest reliabilities of the BFPTSQ were evaluated. The sample was composed of 262 participants; a subsample of 71 individuals also answered the NEO-PI-R, and another subsample of 42 respondents filled the BFPTSQ out again a month later. The results indicated that the expected factor structure was recovered using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). The ESEM showed satisfactory fit indices, with CFI and TLI around .90, as well as RMSEA and SRMR below .06. Moreover, coefficient alphas ranged from .75 to .85 and test-retest correlations ranged from .72 to .93 (p < .001). Regarding the associations of BFPTSQ with NEO-PI-R scales, the correlations with the broad-trait scales ranged from .57 to .80 (p < .001), and 27 out of 30 correlations with the facet scales were significant (p < .05 or lower). We also found that extraversion and emotional stability were associated with subjective well-being (p < .001), and extraversion and conscientiousness were related to alcohol consumption (p < .01). This study supports the construct validity of the Spanish version of the BFPTSQ in adults

Initial validation of the Brief Assessment of Service Satisfaction in Persons with an Intellectual Disability (BASSPID)

Individuals with an intellectual disability often require intensive services to promote their social participation to the fullest extent. As such, measuring satisfaction with these services appears essential to enhance the quality of life of individuals with an intellectual disability and to improve service delivery within agencies. Thus, the purpose of the study was to conduct an initial validation of the Brief Assessment of Service Satisfaction in Persons with an Intellectual Disability (BASSPID), a 15-item questionnaire designed to assess service satisfaction. To examine the structure, reliability, and validity of the BASSPID, we interviewed 98 individuals with an intellectual disability and 23 parents. Overall, the BASSPID contained one scale, which had strong content and convergent validity as well as items easily understandable for individuals with an intellectual disability. Furthermore, the questionnaire had good internal consistency and adequate test-retest reliability. However, parents generally overestimated the perceived satisfaction of their child. The study suggests that the BASSPID may be useful to assess the satisfaction of individuals with an intellectual disability, but more research is needed to examine its potential impact on improving service quality

Cross-cultural examination of the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire: Measurement invariance testing and associations with mental health

The present study examined the measurement invariance of the Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire (BFPTSQ) across language (Spanish and English), Spanish-speaking country of origin (Argentina and Spain) and gender groups (female and male). Evidence of criterion-related validity was examined via associations (i.e., correlations) between the BFPTSQ domains and a wide variety of mental health outcomes. College students (n = 2158) from the USA (n = 1117 [63.21% female]), Argentina (n = 353 [65.72% female]) and Spain (n = 688 [66.86% female]) completed an online survey. Of the tested models, an Exploratory Structural Equation Model (ESEM) fit the data best. Multigroup ESEM and ESEM-within-CFA generally supported the measurement invariance of the questionnaire across groups. Internalizing symptomatology, rumination and low happiness were related mainly to low emotional stability across countries, while low agreeableness and low conscientiousness were related chiefly to externalizing symptomology (i.e., antisocial behavior and drug outcomes). Some correlational differences arose across countries and are discussed. Our findings generally support the BFPTSQ as an adequate measure to assess the Big Five personality domains in Spanish- and English-speaking young adults

Tempérament et comportements perturbateurs chez l’enfant : une revue critique des études longitudinales

Cet article propose une revue des études longitudinales récentes examinant les liens prédictifs entre le tempérament de l’enfant et les comportements perturbateurs ultérieurs. Après avoir proposé une définition du tempérament, les dimensions composant sa structure fondamentale sont présentées. Ensuite, des processus expliquant l’action du tempérament sur l’adaptation du comportement sont proposés. À la lumière des données longitudinales disponibles, les modèles qui privilégient l’influence directe du tempérament et un effet modérateur de l’environnement sur le tempérament semblent les plus adéquats. Certaines caractéristiques tempéramentales extrêmes ou problématiques peuvent être considérées comme des facteurs de risque des comportements, ce qui milite en faveur d’interventions préventives précoces pour prévenir leur émergence et leur développement. La conclusion aborde les problèmes de méthode et les pistes de recherche future.Morizot Julien, Vitaro Frank. Tempérament et comportements perturbateurs chez l’enfant : une revue critique des études longitudinales. In: Bulletin de psychologie, tome 56 n°463, 2003. pp. 69-78