Psychometric Properties of the Farsi Version of Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (F-ECBI) in Iranian Population

Objective: Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) is one of the most frequently used tools for measuring behavioral problems; however, no research has been done to evaluate its psychometric properties in Iran. Method: The present study sought for exploring the factor structure and psychometric properties of the F-ECBI in an Iranian sample. A total of 495 mothers (mean age = 33.83 years; SD = 4.78) who reported behavioral problems in their children aged 3 to 12 years (mean age = 6.36 years; SD = 2.66) were selected via convenience sampling in 2018-2019. The psychometric properties of F-ECBI, including reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) and validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and convergent validity) were assessed using SPSS version 25 and LISREL 8.80. Results: By performing EFA on the first sample part (n = 360), the examination of scree plot supported a 3-factor or 4-factor solution, and pattern matrix resulted in a 3-factor structure. The factors were called as “behavioral problems related to oppositional defiant”, “behavioral problems related to inattentive”, and “behavioral problems related to conduct”, according to their content and the research. CFA was performed on the second part of the sample (n = 135) to test the fitness of the 3-factor solution. According to CFI (0.91), NFI (0.91), NNFI (0.90), IFI (0.91), PNFI (0.77), GFI (0.75) AGFI (0.70), PGFI (0.62) and chi-square (540.31) indexes, the model had acceptable fitness. Cronbach's alpha was employed to measure the internal consistency and it revealed to be at a good to excellent level (behavioral problems related to oppositional defiant = 0.88; behavioral problems related to inattentive = 0.84; behavioral problems related to conduct = 0.74). The 3-factors subscales were associated with total difficulties, internalizing and externalizing SDQ, indicating the good convergent validity of F-ECBI. Conclusion: The F-ECBI has good psychometric properties in Iran and can be employed as a useful instrument for measuring children's behavioral problems.

Disruptive Behaviors across Different Disorders: Evaluation of a Clinical Sample Using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory

Objective: The study reports the prevalence of disruptive behaviors in a help-seeking sample of young children across a diverse range of clinical diagnoses (based on ICD-10). Method: The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), a parent rating scale of disruptive behaviors, was completed on 310 children (2–11 years) at three child and adolescent psychiatry clinics in three German states (Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony); the majority of children were outpatients. Results: Mean intensity scores of disruptive behaviors differed significantly by diagnostic group, with the lowest ratings within a community sample, and increasingly higher scores in children with a diagnosis from the internalizing spectrum, those with pervasive developmental disorders, and finally, those with externalizing disorders (e. g. hyperkinetic disorder, conduct disorders). Seventy percent of the clinical sample, compared to only 17 % of the community sample, exceeded the normative cut-off score of 111, indicating that disruptive behaviors are common in young German children seeking help for different mental health problems. Conclusions: These findings support the Research Domain Criteria approach by showing that disruptive behaviors cross our current diagnostic labels and may need to be assessed and conceptualized in treatment planning, even in children without a primary diagnosis from the externalizing spectrum.

Construct Validity of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI)

Despite the wide use of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), its construct validity is still an issue of debate. Whereas previous studies primarily have relied on confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), the present study aimed to evaluate the Norwegian 22-item version of the ECBI intensity scale using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), which offers more flexibility compared to traditional CFA. The study used data from three samples of parents with children with emerging or existing problem behaviors. Results showed that the ESEM model showed good fit and identified the three factors Oppositional defiant behavior, Conduct problem behavior, and Inattentive behavior. In addition, the ESEM approach revealed several small and significant (λ ≤ .21) cross-loadings. The results illustrated the strengths of ESEM over CFA and suggest that ESEM provide a useful statistical framework to evaluate the structure of ECBI items.