A psychometric assessment of a two-factor solution for the preschool behavior questionnaire in mid-childhood

In this study, we examined Fowler and Park's (1979) two-factor solution (aggressive-hyperactive-distractible and anxious-fearful) for the Preschool Behavor Questionnaire (PBQ; Behar & Stringfield, 1974) in a sample of 179 (93 males, 86 females) grade 1 and 155 (73 males, 82 females) grade 2 children. The validity of this two-component solution was assessed by relating the PBQ factor to indices of peer popularity and observations and peer nominations of aggressive, sociable, and isolative/fearful behavior. Popularity was measured using a rating scale sociometric. Behavioral data were obtained by observing children at free play and recording the frequency of aggression, withdrawal, and sociability. Peer assessments of children's social behaviors were obtained using The Revised Class Play (Masten, Morison, & Pellegrini, 1985). A two-factor solution of the PBQ resulted in the identification of an externalizing (EXT) and an internalizing (INT) factor. These data replicated earlier findings employing younger children (e.g., Fowler & Park, 1979). Each child's EXT and INT score was then correlated (with age partialled out) with his/her scores on each of the observational and peer assessment variables. Teacher ratings of EXT were significantly related to indices of aggression and unpopularity. The teacher ratings of INT were related to measures of anxiety, withdrawal, and unpopularity. These results suggest that the two-factor solution employed herein is an economical and viable indicator of social maladjustment in samples of “normal” elementary school-aged children.