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INTERNALIZING/EXTERNALIZING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
PANEL STUDY OF INCOME DYNAMICS, CHILD DEVELOPMENT SUPPLEMENT
Measure: Behavior Problems Index (BPI)
Background
The Behavior Problems Index (BPI) that is used in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) was developed by James Peterson and Nicholas Zill to measure the incidence and severity of child behavior problems in a survey setting (Peterson & Zill, 1986). Many of the items are from the Achenbach Behavior Problems Checklist (Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1981). The same set of items used in the NLSY79 and was used in the PSID Child Development Supplement (CDS) to maximize comparability between the two data sets, though the PSID-CDS asked the questions from children ages 3 and older while the NLSY began the questions at age 4. A subset of these questions is also included in NLSY97, Wave I, and in the National Survey of American Families, and has been used in the National Health Interview survey. The BPI was included in questionnaires and interviews directed at various respondents (i.e., Primary Caregiver, Other Caregiver, Father Outside of Home, Preschool/Daycare Teacher, and Elementary/ Middle School Teacher). The BPI slightly differs by child age and respondent, though, the underlying constructs, remain the same. Further details are provided in the Items included section below.
Funding for the Child Development Supplement was provided primarily by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional funding was provided by the William T. Grant Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Education. The National Science Foundation, along with the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Aging, also provided financial support. The Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research completed data collection.
Population Assessed
The Child Development Supplement targeted 2,390 eligible families: 1,140 (46 percent) White families, 997 (41 percent) Black families, 158 (7 percent) non-White, non-Black Hispanic families, 46 (2 percent) Asian families, 12 (<1 percent) Native American families, and 29 (3 percent) families of other nationalities. Primary caregivers of 3,586 children were interviewed. There were approximately an equal number of boys and girls. The PSID-CDS sample is stratified and the individual strata are weighted to be nationally representative (Hofferth, 1997). The PSID-CDS used the BPI with children ages 3 to 12, though the versions differed slightly by age.
Periodicity
The sample for this project was drawn from the 1997 PSID interviews. As interviews were completed for the 1997 PSID, households with children who were Family Unit members under the age of 13 were identified for inclusion in the PSID-CDS. The CDS portion of the PSID was repeated in 2001, and comparable items to the 1997 BPI were included in the Primary Caregiver Interview.
Subscales/Components
The PSID-CDS divided behaviors into two subscales, a measure of externalizing, aggressive behavior, and a measure of internalizing, withdrawn or sad behavior. Scores provided are raw scores on the scales. The BPI was selected for use in the PSID based on its use in the NLSY, and the NLSY added several items to the original BPI for additional measurement of withdrawn behaviors. The NLSY adaptations were included in the BPI version used in the PSID-CDS. A Total Behavior Problems scale was created in the PSID-CDS by summing the scores on the raw items with direction of scoring reversed (i.e., higher scores mean more problem behaviors), using the 30 items for all children. Separate scores could also be assessed for two subscales within those 30 items, the Internal, or Withdrawn, scale (13 items) and the External, or Aggressive, scale (16 items).
The BPI can also be broken into six behavioral subscales: antisocial, anxious/depressed, headstrong, hyperactive, immature/dependency, and peer conflict/social withdrawal.
Procedures for Administration
The administration of the BPI varied based on respondent. Primary caregivers were interviewed with the questionnaire face to face unless logistics did not permit. In those cases, interviews were conducted by telephone. Fathers outside of the home were interviewed by telephone. Other caregivers, preschool/daycare teachers, and elementary/middle school teachers were assessed with a self-administered questionnaires. Although the amount of time is not expressly stated, the BPI is estimated to take between 4 and 6 minutes to administer.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
The Total Behavior Problems Scale and the Externalizing and Internalizing subscales each showed strong internal reliabilities, .90, .86, and, .81, respectively. It appears that the data in which these coefficients are based are from a parental report, but it is unclear whether they came from the Primary Caregiver, Other Caregiver, or Father Outside of the Home questionnaire. No validity information is readily available.
Languages Available
Questionnaires are available in both English and Spanish.
Items Included
Items included are from PSID-CDS questionnaire for the BPI from the Primary Caregiver, Other Caregiver, and Father Outside of House questionnaire.
Items marked with an “E” are included within the Externalizing subscale; those marked with an “I” are included in the Internalizing subscale. All items are included in the Total Behavior Problems scale.
For the next set of statements, decide whether they are often true, sometimes true, or not true, according to (CHILD)’s behavior.
- (He/She) has sudden changes in mood or feeling.(E)
- (He/She) feels or complains that no one loves him/her. (I)
- (He/She) is rather high strung and nervous. (E)
- (He/She) cheats or tells lies. (E)
- (He/She) is too fearful or anxious. (I)
- (He/She) argues too much. (E)
- (He/She) has difficulty concentrating, cannot pay attention for long. (E)
- (He/She) is easily confused, seems to be in a fog. (I)
- (He/She) bullies or is cruel or mean to others. (E)
- (He/She) is disobedient. (E)
- (He/She) does not seem to feel sorry after (he/she) misbehaves. (E)
- (He/She)has trouble getting along with other children. (E) (I)
- (He/She) is impulsive, or acts without thinking. (E)
- (He/She) feels worthless or inferior. (I)
- (He/She) is not liked by other children. (I)
- (He/She) has difficulty getting (his/her) mind off certain thoughts. (I)
- (He/She) is restless or overly active, cannot sit still. (E)
- (He/She) is stubborn, sullen, or irritable. (E)
- (He/She) has a very strong temper and loses it easily. (E)
- (He/She) is unhappy, sad or depressed. (I)
- (He/She) is withdrawn, does not get involved with others. (I)
- (He/She) breaks things on purpose or deliberately destroys (his/her) own or another’s things. (E)
- (He/She) clings to adults.
- (He/She) cries too much. (E)
- (He/She) demands a lot of attention. (E)
- (He/She) is too dependent on others. (I)
- (He/She) feels others are out to get (him/her). (I)
- (He/She) hangs around with kids who get into trouble.
- (He/She)is secretive, keeps things to (himself/herself). (I)
- (He/She)worries too much. (I)
For children in school:
Please tell me whether the next two statements about (CHILD) are often true, sometimes true, or not true.
a. (He/She) is disobedient at school.
b. (He/She) has trouble getting along with teachers
The Educator/ Home-Based caregiver versions of the BPI slightly differ from the Primary Caregiver, Other Caregiver, and Father Outside of House versions mentioned above. There are also small item level differences between Educator/Home-Based versions.
Home-Based Caregiver:
Items are identical, save lack of item j.): (He/She) is disobedient.
Preschool/ Daycare Teacher:
Adds the additional item “ae.) Makes excessive demands for teacher’s attention”
Elementary/Middle School Teacher:
Adds an additional five items:
ae.) Makes excessive demands for teacher’s attention
af.) Is an academic underachiever and does (his/her) work only when forced to.
ag.) Simply goes through the motions in class
ah.) Appears to have given up, withdrawn from class activities, and only participates when made to do so.
ai.) Acts up in class.
References and Source Documents
Achenbach, T., & Edelbrock, C. (1981). Behavioral problems and competencies reported by parents of normal and disturbed children aged four through sixteen. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 46(1). (No. 188.)
Hofferth, S., Davis-Kean, P., Davis J., & Finkelstein, J. (1997). Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics: 1997 User Guide. Retrieved June 6, 2003, from http://www.isr.umich.edu/src/child-development/usergd.html
Peterson, J. L., & Zill, N. (1986). Marital disruption, parent-child relationships, and behavioral problems in children. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48(2), p.295.
http://www.isr.umich.edu/src/child-development/home.html
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