Correlates of the CBCL‐dysregulation profile in preschool‐aged children

Abstract

Background A growing literature indicates that the Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP) identifies youths with heightened risk for severe psychopathology, comorbidity, and impairment. However, this work has focused on school-age children and adolescents; no studies have examined whether preschool-aged children with the CBCL-DP exhibit a similar constellation of problems. Method Using a community sample of preschoolers, we compared children with (N = 61) and without (N = 488) the CBCL-DP on a broad range of variables assessed using multiple methods. Results Univariate analyses revealed numerous differences between children with the CBCL-DP and their peers on psychiatric symptomatology, temperament, parenting behavior, and parental personality, psychopathology, and marital functioning. In multivariate analyses, children with the CBCL-DP exhibited greater temperamental negative affectivity and lower effortful control. They also had more depressive and oppositional defiant symptoms, as well as greater functional impairment. Parents of CBCL-DP children reported engaging in more punitive, controlling parenting behavior than parents of non-profile children. Conclusions In a non-clinical sample of preschoolers, the CBCL-DP is associated with extensive emotional and behavioral dysregulation and maladaptive parenting.

Prevalence and Correlates of Psychopathology in Children and Adolescents Evaluated with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire Dysregulation Profile in a Clinical Setting

“…Similar findings are reported in a sample study of 549 preschool-aged children where the mothers of children with the CBCL-DP had significantly higher rates of lifetime depressive and anxiety disorders, as well as current depressive symptomatology [9]. This is consistent with the results of previous studies: parental depression is linked with poor parenting and, thus, with infant psychological morbidity [41].…”

“…This is supported by two recent studies where CBCL-DP status was coupled with greater familial psychopathology, i.e. more problems with interfamilial relationships, family communication and upbringing, and with the subject's immediate surroundings [9,14]. Our findings, along with those of Kim et al [9], may reflect a well-known relevance of mother-child bonding in the development of self-regulation in children [42].…”

“…more problems with interfamilial relationships, family communication and upbringing, and with the subject's immediate surroundings [9,14]. Our findings, along with those of Kim et al [9], may reflect a well-known relevance of mother-child bonding in the development of self-regulation in children [42]. However, our findings are limited to the fact that we did not collect information regarding the specific informant who provided the data for the study.…”

“…The diagnostic value of the CBCL-DP has been discussed in recent years. Previous studies have revealed evidence of high heritability [4,7,8], longitudinal stability [8], stability across ages [4,5,9] and neurobiological basis [10,11]. In addition, there is a growing consensus that the CBCL-DP phenotype should be considered an indicator of poor self-regulation, overall psychopathology, symptom severity, exposure to psychosocial adversity and functional impairment [12,13,14,15,16,17], as well as a heritable trait that increases susceptibility for later psychopathology and impairment [5,17,18].…”

Loss of Temper and Irritability: The Relationship to Tantrums in a Community and Clinical Sample

“…Elevated scores on the anxiety/ depression, attention/hyperactivity and aggression subscales have been associated with conditions characterized by mood dysregulation (e.g., Volk and Todd, 2006;Holtmann et al 2007;McGough et al 2008;Ayer et al 2009). t scores from the aforementioned scales are generally added together with a 180 cutoff for nonclinic samples (Meyer et al 2009;Kim et al 2012), which is equivalent to *1 standard deviation from the mean. Higher cutoffs (sum ‡201), *1.5 standard deviations from the mean, are used in clinic samples (Uchida et al 2014;Brederman et al 1995).…”