This study compared parents' and teachers' perceptions of behavior disorders in 1,008 white children enrolled in kindergarten through eighth grade. Data included background information and ratings on the Behavior Problem Checklist. For the most part, parents perceived more problems in their children than did teachers. Parents and teachers tended to agree that boys exhibited more deviant behavior than girls and that youngsters from the higher social classes had fewer disorders than those from the lower classes. Parent and teacher judgments were somewhat alike in that both groups tended to observe a pattern in the development of problems that first increased then decreased or first increased then decreased and leveled off across grades. Trends were more gradual for parents and sharper for teachers, or declines were not seen by parents that were seen by teachers. Bivariate correlations between parents' and teachers' evaluations were significant by low or low to moderate. Mother-teacher and father-teacher coefficients differed on Socialized Delinquency but were similar on the other behavioral dimensions. Although significant interactions of parent-teacher relationships with sex and grade were infrequent, correlations between ratings by the two groups of informants were higher for boys than for girls; and correlations between parent and teacher judgments were lower for early grades than for later grades.

41 adopted and 2,991 nonadopted children were compared on a behavior problem checklist completed by teachers. Adopted youngsters exceeded their nonadopted peers in frequency of disorders, especially conduct problems but also personality problems and socialized delinquency. Incidence of personality problems increased for adopted children from kindergarten through eighth grade and increased and then declined for nonadopted children over the same period. Boys experienced more maladjustment than girls, and differences between the sexes were greater for adopted than nonadopted youngsters on conduct problems, personality problems, and socialized delinquency.

This study examined differences in the incidence of behavior problems between children living with both natural parents and those in single-parent or in stepparent families. Subjects were 3,644 white children in kindergarten through eighth grade; 2,991 were living with both of their own parents; 312 with mother only; 43 with father only; 264 with mother and stepfather; and 34 with father and stepmother. Teachers provided background information and Behavior Problem Checklist ratings on the youngsters. Compared to children from intact homes, those living with mother only had more problems checked on all five scales of the checklist; those with father only, more Socialized Delinquency; those with mother and stepfather, more Conduct Problems and Socialized Delinquency; and those with father and stepmother, more Conduct Problems. Interactions were found for sex, social class, and grade in school.

This study examined the relationship of previously determined predictors of general delinquency to violent behavior of African American and Caucasian males. Independent variables included multiple measures of family and individual variables. With the exception of family structure, results indicated that predictors of violent behavior are similar to predictors of general delinquency. Differences between African American and Caucasians are highlighted. Recommendations for future research and application to prevention and intervention program development are offered.

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