Teacher reports of peer aggression in preschool: its relationship to DSM-IV externalizing symptoms

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de agresión preescolar hacia iguales en la comunidad y su correlación con categorías externalizantes del DSM-IV. Método: La muestra fue de 1104 niños de 3 a 6 años, procedentes de aulas preescolares urbanas y rurales. Se aplicó a los maestros la Peer Conflict Scale (PCS), para recabar información de agresiones físicas directas, verbales, con objetos y simbólicas, y el cuestionario de psicopatología ECI-IV. Resultados: Un 6.6% (n = 73) puntuó positivamente por lo menos en un item de la PCS. Este porcentaje decreció hasta un 2.6 % (n = 29) con una definición de caso más exigente (mínimo tres ítems positivos). La agresión física directa fue la forma más frecuente de agresión seguida de agresión verbal y agresión con objetos. Hubo diferencias significativas según edad y sexo. La agresión dirigida a iguales se asocia al sexo masculino desde los 3 años. La agresión física directa, con objetos y verbal correlaciona con trastornos externalizantes, principalmente con trastornos oposicionistas. Conclusiones: Esta investigación en población española confirma la existencia de agresividad hacia iguales en preescolares así como diferencias según sexo. Nuestra principal aportación es haber encontrado diferencias de sexo en el inicio y en los tipos de agresividad hacia iguales.Objective: to establish the prevalence and associations of peer aggression as manifested in preschool children, in community-based populations and to study links with DSM-IV externalizing diagnoses. Method: Subjects were 1,104 children, 3-to-5-year-olds attending rural and urban pre-schools classes. Teachers completed the Peer Conflict Scale (PCS) to inform about direct physical and verbal aggression, object aggression and symbolic aggression and the questionnaire on psychopathology ECI-4. Results: 6.6% (n = 73) had at least one positive item on the PCS. This percentage dropped to 2.6% (n = 29) if we take into account a minimum of three positive items. Physical direct aggression was the more prevalent type of aggressive behavior, followed by verbal aggression, object aggression and symbolic aggression. Significant differences by gender and age were found. Peer aggression was associated with male gender from three years of age. Physical, object and verbal aggressive behavior was linked with externalizing disorders. This association was very strong with oppositional disorder. Conclusions: The present research with a Spanish population confirms the existence of peer aggression in preschoolers and the gender differences. Our chief contribution is about the age of emergence of sex differences and gender differences in different types of peer aggression

Further validity evidence of the Behavioral Inhibition Observation System (BIOS)

Background: The Behavioral Inhibition Observation System (BIOS) is a brief clinician-report scale for detecting behavioral inhibition (BI) from direct observation. This study aims to compare the validity coefficients obtained in the natural context of use of the BIOS (i.e., a clinical situation) with those obtained using the BIOS after standardized observation. Method: The participants were 74 randomly selected preschool children who were exposed to systematic observation. Results: The results indicate excellent internal consistency (α = .91) and moderate to good inter-rater reliability for all items (ICC from .55 to .88). The correlations with observational measures of BI ranged from .40 to .70, and were mostly equivalent to those of the previous study. The correlations with parents', teachers', and clinicians' measures of BI and related constructs ranged from .30 to .60, and were also equivalent to those obtained in the natural context of use of the BIOS (i.e., clinical situation). Conclusions: The validity coefficients obtained with the BIOS in a non-structured natural observation are mostly equivalent to those obtained in an experimental situation, thus supporting that the BIOS is a cost-efficient instrument for measuring BI from observation in a clinical situationAntecedentes: El Protocolo de Observación de la Inhibición Conductual (BIOS) es una breve escala para clínicos destinada a detectar la inhibición conductual (behavioral inhibition o BI) mediante observación directa. El objetivo de este estudio es comparar los coeficientes de validez obtenidos en el contexto natural de aplicación del BIOS (i.e., en situación clínica) con los obtenidos al utilizar el BIOS tras una observación estandarizada. Método: Los participantes fueron 74 preescolares seleccionados aleatoriamente y expuestos a observación sistemática. Resultados: Los resultados indican una excelente consistencia interna (α=.91) y fiabilidad inter-jueces de moderada a buena para todos los ítems (ICC de .55 a .88). Las correlaciones con medidas observacionales de BI oscilaron entre .40 y .70 y en su mayoría fueron equivalentes a las del estudio anterior. Las correlaciones con las medidas de BI y constructos afines de padres, maestros y clínicos oscilaron entre .30 y .60 y también fueron equivalentes a las obtenidas en el contexto natural de uso del BIOS (i.e., en situación clínica). Conclusiones: Los coeficientes de validez obtenidos con el BIOS en observación natural no estructurada son mayoritariamente equivalentes a los obtenidos en situación experimental, demostrando así que el BIOS es un instrumento coste-eficiente para medir BI a partir de la observación en situación clínic

Escala de inhibición conductual para preescolares, versión de maestros (EICP-M) : propiedades psicométricas

Aunque la inhibición ha sido evaluada en el laboratorio, en la escuela y en casa, no existen instrumentos en español que permitan evaluar este rasgo en preescolares. El presente trabajo se basa en el desarrollo de la Escala de Inhibición Conductual para Preescolares - Versión para maestros (EICP-M), una escala breve de fácil aplicación, creada para evaluar la inhibición de los niños de 3 a 6 años. Los 14 ítems de la EICP-M son contestados por los maestros de 697 preescolares. Los resultados son indicativos de una buena consistencia interna (α = 0,87) y las correlaciones de la EICP-M con otras medidas indican una buena validez convergente y discriminanteDespite inhibition has been measured in the laboratory, in the school and at home, there are no Spanish instruments to assess behavioral inhibition features in preschool-age children. The present work is based on the creation of the Preschool Behavioral Inhibition Scale- Teacher's form (PBIS-T), a brief tool of easy application created to assess behavioral inhibition in children aged 3 to 6. The 14 items of PBIS-T were completed by teachers of 697 preschool-age children. Results indicate a good internal consistency reliability (α =0,87) and the correlations of PBIS-T with other measures indicate a good convergent and discriminant validit

Prevalence of major depression in preschool children

The prevalence of preschool major depressive disorder (MDD) was studied in the community. The whole population of children between 3 and 6 years attending preschool nurseries in three areas (one urban, one rural and one suburban) in Spain (n = 1,427) were contacted. Selection was by a two-stage procedure. At stage I, the ESDM 3-6, a screening measure for preschool depression, was used to identify a sample for more intensive interviewing. Sensitivity and specificity of the cut-off point of the ESDM 3–6 had been previously tested in a pilot study (n = 229). During the first stage, 222 preschool children (15.6%) were found to be probable depressives, because they scored 27 or more, the cut-off used. At stage II, the children were interviewed and diagnosed by the consensus of two clinicians, blind to the ESDM 3-6 results. DSM-IV diagnostic criteria were used to define caseness. A total of 16 children (1.12%) met the MDD criteria. The prevalence by areas was urban 0.87%, rural 0.88%, suburban 1.43%. Sex distribution prevalence was 1:1. This study is a contribution to the scarce epidemiology of preschool depression in the community