Dimensionality and Reliability Assessment of a Field Implementation of the Big Five in Mexican Children

According to the literature, the use of the Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI) to measure Big Five personality traits in children provides reliable and valid scores. However, the implementation of the BPI could be costly, especially when working with large sample sizes. Big Five self-reports were collected from 1118 Mexican children aged 7–8 years using a modified version of the BPI protocol and a Spanish version of the Big Five questionnaire. The main objective of this study was to inquire whether some modifications in the application protocol of the BPI could still provide reliable personality scores for the population under study. We report item–rest correlation, Cronbach’s alpha and omega as reliability measures, and confirmatory factor analytic models to investigate dimensionality. The results show that the personality trait scores are markedly reliable and that the dimensionality of the instrument holds for the Mexican sample.

Self-Reported Problem Behavior in Young Children With and Without a Dsm-Disorder in the General Population

BackgroundProblem behavior of young children is generally not assessed with structured child interviews. This paper examined how information about problem behavior, obtained by structured interviews with six-year-old children, relates to DSM-disorders obtained from parents and to treatment referral.MethodsIn a population-based cohort, caregivers of 1084 young children (mean age 6.7 years) were interviewed with the DSM-based Diagnostic Interview Schedule-Young Child version (DISC-YC), and they scored the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Children themselves were interviewed about problem behavior using the semi-structured Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI). Information regarding treatment referral to mental health services was obtained by parent-reported questionnaire when children were on average eight years old.ResultsDSM-disorders and CBCL problems in the clinical range were cross-sectionally associated with higher levels of child self-reported problems. Associations were strongest in the externalizing domain (e.g. DISC-YC externalizing disorders with BPI externalizing scores: F(1, 416) = 19.39, P < 0.001; DISC-YC internalizing disorders with BPI internalizing scores: F(1, 312) = 3.75, P = 0.054). Moreover, higher BPI internalizing and externalizing problem scores predicted treatment referral two years later.ConclusionsWe conclude that systematically interviewing preschool and young elementary school-aged children should be an integral part of child assessment. This approach may contribute to a better understanding of child development and may predict future problems.

Does parental psychological control relate to internalizing and externalizing problems in early childhood? An examination using the Berkeley puppet interview

Parental psychological control has been linked to symptoms of psychopathology in adolescence, yet less is known about its correlates in childhood. The current study is among the first to address whether psychological control is related to internalizing and externalizing problems in early childhood. A community sample of 298 children aged 7.04 ( SD = 1.15) years participated. Along with two other parenting dimensions (i.e., responsiveness and behavioural control), psychological control, internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed by means of the Berkeley Puppet Interview. Psychological control was associated with internalizing and externalizing problems, and this association remained significant while controlling for parental behavioural control and responsiveness. Results suggest that the maladaptive correlates of psychological control also manifest in developmental periods prior to adolescence. Still, it is unknown how psychological control and child psychopathology are related over time in childhood.