Assumptions of agreement and familiarity on the abbreviated conners teachers rating scale

Implicit in the development and use of the Conners' scales are the assumptions that the raters will agree upon their rating of hyperactivity regardless of a lack of operational defitions of items in such scales, and that the cut-off score (1.5) for ADHD should be higher in cases where the rater has some familiarity with the clinical case. This study describes a method for the evaluation of both assumptions. Seven children were rated by nursing staff and school teachers using the Abbreviated Conners Teachers Rating Scale (ACTRS) daily. Observations were conducted during the 7 a.m.-3 p.m. and 3 p.m.–7 p.m. shifts in order to provide two separate scores across raters. The results supported the assumption of agreement within (for example nurses' ratings during the 7 a.m.–3 p.m. period) and between (i.e. nurses' ratings versus teachers' ratings) settings. The results did not support the assumption of familiarity: scores during early observations were similar to the scores during later observations (when more familiarity with the clinical case is assumed). It was concluded that familiarity with the clinical case does not necessarily lead to higher scores (i.e. a better prediction of hyperactivity as a function of the rater's familiarity with the case) on the ACTRS. Agreements within and between observers could be a function of the raters' agreement in terms of using a specific cut-off point (i.e. 1.5) in their definition of a case as ‘hyperactive’, rather than the raters' agreement on reporting similar scores across observers.     

A change of mind: The Conners Abbreviated Rating Scales Reconsidered

A cutoff score of 15 on the Conners 10-item Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale (ATRS), based on a study from this laboratory, has been widely used by investigators for diagnosis of the syndrome known now as Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity. A replication of the original research employing a larger norm sample indicates that the suggested score of 15 is too low. Comparing the norm sample with hyperactive subjects selected by cutoff of 15 on the ATRS showed that the groups differed greatly on hyperactivity but not on inattention. The abbreviated form of the Conners scale does not effectively select children with attention deficits. Numerous problems with both the 39-item teacher scale and the abbreviated form suggest strongly that they be abandoned as research tools.This research was supported in part by research grant No. MH18909 from the National Institute of Mental Health.     

Self-control in children: A multimethod examination of treatment outcome measures

This investigation consisted of a multimethod evaluation of treatment outcome measures that have been developed to assess self-control in children. Subjects were 132 children from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Each child's homeroom teacher and one other classroom teacher independently completed the Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS), the Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale (TSCRS), and the 10-item Conners Teacher Rating Scale (TRS). Parents of 41 children completed the Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale and the Conners Teacher Rating Scale. Children completed the Children's Perceived Self-Control Scale (CPSC) and were administered the Matching Familiar Figure Test (MFF). Results showed high internal consistency reliability for the TSCRS, SCRS, TRS, and MFF latency scores, CPSCS and MFF error scores demonstrated low reliability13-01=.07).Correlations between rating scales and MFF error scores also were low. The findings suggest that considerable construct confusion does exist between measures designed to assess self-control and impulsivity in children.1The authors wish to express their appreciation to Edward Guziewski, principal, and the teachers of Oregon Elementary School for their assistance and cooperation in this study. In addition, the authors thank an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this article. This article was written while the first author was principal research investigator with the Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Unit of the Waisman Center on Mental Retardation and Human Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is funded in large part by Grant HD 03352 from the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April 1984.     

Data on the Conners Teacher Rating Scale from a British clinic population

Conners Teacher Rating Scales were completed on 124 boys aged between 5 and 11 years who attended the child guidance clinics of a large southeast London psychiatric hospital. Comparisons were made with the data provided by Conners (Am. J. Psychiat., 1969,126, 884–888) in which the factor structure of the scale was first identified. This was in response to a reported failure to replicate the scales factor structure in a clinic population despite a number of confirmatory studies on large numbers of children in general populations. Of the scale's five original factors, three were clearly identified. The other two, labeled Hyperactivity and Inattentive-Passive, comprised a single factor. A fifth weaker factor not identified by Conners (1969) was found, consisting principally of antisocial conduct items. The results are seen as providing further evidence of the scales robustness in this, the only other reported clinic study and one in which British children were used for the first time.     

Psychological Distress in Orphan,Vulnerable Children and Non-Vulnerable Children in High Prevalence HIV/AIDS Communities

The degree of psychological distress and access social support is investigated in children (n = 741) living in nine high prevalence HIV/AIDS communities. They comprised (i) vulnerable, maternally-orphaned (n = 319); (ii) vulnerable and not orphaned (n = 276); and (iii) typically developing (n = 146). The following psychometric tests were administered: The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Townsend, 2002); the Reynolds Depression Scale for Children (Reynolds, 1989); and the Social Support Scale (Beale Spencer, Cole, Jones & Phillips Swanson, 1997). Primary caregivers completed the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (Conners, Parker, Sitarenios, & Epstein, 1998) and an Adversity Index (Killian, 2004a) to establish the vulnerability status of each child. The data were analysed to distinguish the groups from each other regarding profiles of distress. The findings suggest that vulnerable children, be they orphaned or not, manifest similar degrees of emotional distress and perceived themselves as unable to access social support. Interventions should address the needs of both orphans and other vulnerable children, without prioritising the needs of orphans over other vulnerable children.     

An objective evaluation of special class placement of elementary schoolboys with behavior problems

Behavioral checklists were employed to identify the type and degree of psychopathology observed in 90 boys who were referred for possible placement in classrooms for the socially and emotionally disturbed (SED). School behavior was assessed by teachers completing the Conners Teacher Rating Scale, while behavior at home was rated by parents with the Child Behavior Checklist. The checklist findings from both environments showed the boys to have high levels of psychological disturbance, especially for externalizing factors such as hyperactivity, aggression, and conduct disorder. This was especially true for those boys for whom SED placement was recommended. Further, the clinical usefulness of these checklists was investigated as an adjunctive method for the determination of the need for SED placement. By the use of discriminant function analysis, about three-fourths of the boys recommended for SED placement were accurately identified; correct classification was maximized when parent and teacher checklists were employed together.     

The revised conners parent rating scale: Factor structure replication with a diversified clinical sample

The Revised Conners Teacher Rating Scale was completed as part of a comprehensive evaluation of 135 consecutive new patients seen in the Pediatric Neurology Learning Disability Clinic at the Medical College of Georgia. The questionnaires were subjected to principal components analysis with varimax rotation. Item analysis was conducted on the obtained subscales, and convergent validity was determined by correlation with the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (Quay & Peterson, 1987). Finally, comparisons of the diagnostic groups were carried out across the subscales.I would like to thank Harry Davis, Office of Research Computing and Statistics, Medical College of Georgia, for his invaluable help in carrying out the computer analysis of the data.     

The relationship between creativity,teacher ratings on behavior,age, and gender in pupils from seven to ten years

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the performance on a test for the assessment of creative behavior and teacher ratings on scales for the assessment of behavior commonly seen as negative. The sample consisted of 71 Austrian elementary school students (33 boys and 38 girls), from seven to ten years of age. The children were tested with the German “Creativity Test for Preschoolers and Pupils” by Krampen. This test is based on Guilford's model of the structure of the intellect and it assesses divergent thinking with respect to behavioral, figural, and semantic tasks. The teachers completed the “Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale,” a teacher rating questionnaire based on the DSM‐IV criteria to assess inattentive and impulsive/hyperactive behavior, and a researcher self‐constructed teacher rating questionnaire, containing the scales “dissocial behavior”, “introverted behavior”, and “creative behavior”. It was found that more impulsive/hyperactive and disruptive behavior was related to a better performance on fluency and more attentive and less introverted behavior were related to a better performance on flexibility. Additionally, it was found that boys present more alternatives in active behavior than girls. The results lead to the conclusion that more lively behavior of pupils should not be seen negatively, as such behavior seems to be a predictor of creative thinking.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Alienation on Public and Private School Females

The levels of alienation of American female school students (N = 431; 256 public, 175 private) were assessed to determine the extent of the influence of the school environment on the student's level of alienation and the dimensions of isolation, normlessness, and powerlessness. It was hypothesized that substantially different school settings would have no significant effects because student alienation is influenced by a series of complex environmental factors. The Dean Alienation Scale (1961) was used to assess levels of alienation. There were no significant differences in terms of total alienation and powerlessness. Private school students, however, were more isolated (p < .001) and public school students had higher levels of normlessness (p < .05).     

Interpersonal relatedness and self-definition in the experience of loneliness during the transition to university

Blatt's (1900) theory on the two primary dimensions in personality—interpersonal relatedness and self—definition—was applied to the study of loneliness during the transition to university. Participants were 176 students (84 males and 92 females) who completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) at the beginning of First-year university (time 1) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (trait and state versions) at the beginning and at the middle of first-year university (time 2). A subsample of students (n= 74) also completed Sharabany's Intimacy Scale at time 2. Trait loneliness was accounted for by higher levels of Self-Criticism (SC) and lower levels of Efficacy (E). Change in state loneliness from time t to time 2 (i.e., overcoming state loneliness) was predicted by lower Self-Criticism and higher Efficacy. In the relationship with an intimate partner, Self-Criticism negatively predicted frankness, sensitivity, and trust, whereas Dependency positively predicted attachment, giving, and trust. The centrality of self-criticism in vulnerability to loneliness and in lack of intimacy is discussed, and directions for future research on loneliness and personality styles are suggested.     

Linguistic and Semantic Factors in the Psychodynamics of War

Summary

The present study reports questionnaire data obtained from undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology (50 males, 52 females) with regard to opinions concerning President Nixon's possible involvement in the Watergate scandal of 1973. In addition, Ss completed Byrne's Repression-Sensitization Scale and the Hogan-Dickstein Moral Judgment Scale. As predicted from cognitive consistency theory, Ss who had voted for Nixon in the 1972 Presidential election minimized the likelihood of Nixon's possible guilt more so than did those who no longer supported him (p < .05). Furthermore, repression-sensitization and moral judgment maturity were found to be related (both p < .05) to formation of Watergate-related attitudes.     

Psychometric properties of a Danish translation of the Rutter Scale B in a community sample of seven-year-old children

The psychometric properties of a Danish translation of the Rutter Scale B for completion by teachers were examined in a nonreferred sample of 686 7-year-old children. The Danish translation of the Rutter scale had a similar factor structure to the original, producing a three-factor structure corresponding to the subscales. The agreement between the questionnaire and direct observations of the children ten months earlier was fair ( K =0.42). The findings suggest that the translated scale could serve as a rapid and useful screening instrument in clinical and in research settings.     

The implicit theories approach to the self-monitoring controversy

In the face of uncertainty and disagreement about the meaning and measurement of the self-monitoring construct, the author proposes an implicit theories approach to shed light on what self-monitoring scales may be tapping. The first study explored people's notions of what high and low self-monitors are like, based on the statements in the 18-item Self-Monitoring Scale (Gangestad and Snyder, 1985). The second study compared that measure with Lennox and Wolfe's (1984) Revised Self-Monitoring Scale and examined defensive motivation within the scales. The third study consisted of two experiments to determine whether subjects perceived the items of Gangestad and Snyder's Self-Monitoring Scale as reflecting a unitary latent entity or separate, contradictory variables. It was concluded that the implicit theories approach appears to be a useful complement to traditional factor analytic studies, providing new ways of looking at a personality construct, clarifying some theoretical issues, and generating hypotheses for future research.     

Self-control behavior in hyperactive and nonhyperactive children

This study was aimed at evaluating the self-control behaviors of hyperactive (HA) and nonhyperactive (NHA) first-grade pupils under conditions of repeated failure on a previously learned concept formation task. Subjects were divided into HA and NHA groups on the basis of their scores on the Conners (1969) Teacher Rating Scale. During the training stage of the experiment the children learned a concept formation task under a schedule of contingent positive reinforcement. In the test stage they performed the same task but under a negative noncontingent reinforcement schedule. The results revealed no differences in initial rate of learning the task between the groups. After the introduction of the negative noncontingent reinforcement schedule, however, the HA group showed a marked decrease in the use of effective problem-solving strategies. The HA children's performance on the concept formation task was accompanied by the emission of negative self-evaluations and solution-irrelevant statements. The NHA group used significantly more statements showing useful goal directed cognitive mediations than the HA children. The results suggested that HA children may have deficits in self-control skills.Grateful acknowledgment is made to the two anonymous reviewers whose insightful comments were very helpful in producing the final form of this paper.     

Reliability and concurrent relations between the teacher version of the child behavior profile and the conners revised teacher rating scale

A total of 104 disturbed boys aged 6–11 were assessed with the teacher version of the Child Behavior Profile and the Conners Revised Teacher Rating Scale (TRS). A subsample of 55 boys were reassessed with both measures at an interval of 1 week. For the teacher Profile, test-retest correlations averaged r=87 for eight behavior problem scales and r=91 for four adaptive functioning scales. Reliabilities were slightly higher for Externalizing scales (average r=.91) than for Internalizing scales (r=.80). Reliabilities averaged .94 for the Revised TRS. Correlations between the two measures indicated a strong correspondence between the three Externalizing scales of the Profile and the factor-based TRS scales. Specifically, Profile scales labeled Inattentive, Nervous-Overactive, and Aggressive correlated highly (p < .001) with TRS scales labeled Inattentive-Passive, Hyperactivity, and Conduct Problem, respectively. The Conners Hyperkinesis Index correlated highly with all three Externalizing scales of the Profile, particularly Aggressive (r=.82). Overall, these results support the reliability and concurrent validity of both measures.This research was supported by an NIMH Research Scientist Development Award (MH00403) to the first author and by NIMH grant number MH37372. The support of the William T. Grant Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. The authors are indebted to the students, teachers, and staff of PACE School for their cooperation. Tom Achenbach provided valuable comments on an earlier draft.     

Treatment of children with ADHD: psychopedagogical program at school versus psychostimulant medication

This study examined the impact of medication management compared to a psycho-educational program on parent and teacher ratings of children with combined type ADHD. The study lasted 14 weeks and included 50 children. 17 children took medication, 17 received psycho-educational intervention, and 16 children were assigned to the control group. The measures used were the IOWA Conners Scale, the School Problem Inventory, the Abbreviated Conners, and the DSM-IV Inattention-Disorganization and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity rating scales. Regarding teacher ratings, improvements were observed on: a) inattention and school problems in the medication group versus the control group; and b) hyperactivity symptoms in the psycho-pedagogical group versus the control and medication groups. Regarding to parent ratings, improvements were observed on: a)inattention in the psycho-pedagogical group versus the control and medication groups; and b) hyperactivity symptoms in the psycho-pedagogical group versus the control and the medication groups.     

Measuring the impact on relatives of caring for people with Alzheimer's disease: Quality of life,burden and well-being

Abstract

This study compared key correlates of caregiver stress in 50 Alzheimer's disease patients and their primary caregivers. in relation to three outcome measures - perceived burden, psychological well-being, and quality of life (QoL). These were evaluated using the Zarit Burden Interview. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30), and Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual QoL (SEIQoL-DW) respectively. Informal social support was evaluated on Vaux's Social Support Appraisal Scale. Patients' cognitive. functional, and behavioural status were rated on Mini-Mental State Examination, Blessed-Roth Dementia Scale. and Baumgarten Dementia Behaviour Disturbance Scale respectively. Standardised multiple regression analysis was used to compare the outcome measures. In this model burden was highly related to behaviour disturbance. and also to social support (adjusted R² = 0.45). Well-being was significantly related to behaviour disturbance, and also to functional status (adjusted R² = 0.40). With regard to QoL the model performed poorly as most of the variance in QoL was not accounted for by the model (adjusted R² = 0.14). These findings highlight differences in factors determining caregiver QoL. burden and well-being.     

Overt and Covert Coparenting Processes in the Family

This article introduces a new self-report instrument designed to measure the frequency of parental behaviors thought to promote or undermine children's sense of family. Members of 103 married couples rated their behavior in both public (all family members present) and private (alone with child) contexts. Factor analyses of these data revealed four distinct factors indexing: behaviors in the service of promoting a sense of Family Integrity; largely covert parent-to-child communications undermining, or conveying Disparagement of, the coparental partner; overt interparental Conflict in the presence of the child; and coparental disciplinary activities (Reprimand). Significant husband-wife correlations were found on each of the four individual subscales. Construct-specific intercorrelations also obtained between like scales on the new measure and on the Family Environment Scale and Quality of Coparenting Scale. Cluster analyses of husbands' and wives' scores on the four Coparenting Scale factors suggested five “types” of coparenting families: Disconnected, Supportive, Average, Distressed-Conflicted, and Passionate. These clusters, along with the value of self-report instruments in assessing coparenting behaviors that may be largely clandestine in nature, are discussed.     

Validity of Beck's Cognitive Theory of Depression With Nonreferred Adolescents

This study investigated the validity of Beck's cognitive theory of depression in a sample of nonreferred adolescents, ages 14 to 18 years. In support of the theory, students' greater levels of depressive symptomatology on the Beck Depression Inventory were found to be most significantly associated with higher scores on both the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale and Hopelessness Scale. The results were less consistent with regard to the relationships between the students' levels of depressive symptomatology and their recall of positive and negative self-referent adjectives on an incidental recall task. The implications of the study and directions for future research are discussed.