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Are There Stable Factors in Preadolescent Girls’ Externalizing Behaviors?

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Abstract

Relatively little is known about the factor structure of disruptive behavior among preadolescent girls. The present study reports on exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of disruptive girl behavior over four successive data waves as rated by parents and teachers in a large, representative community sample of girls (N = 2,451). Five factors were identified from parent ratings (oppositional behavior/conduct problems, inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, relational aggression, and callous-unemotional behaviors), and four factors were identified derived from teacher ratings (oppositional behavior/conduct problems/callous-unemotional behaviors, inattention, hyperactivityimpulsivity, and relational aggression). There was a high degree of consistency of items loading on equivalent factors across parent and teacher ratings. Year-to-year stability of factors between ages five and 12 was high for parent ratings (ICC = 0.70 to 0.88), and slightly lower for teacher ratings (ICC = 0.56 to 0.83). These findings are discussed in terms of possible adjustment to the criteria for children's disruptive behavior disorders found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders.

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Notes

  1. The results can be requested from the senior author.

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Acknowledgments

We are much indebted to the staff of the Pittsburgh Girls Study for their dedication and hard work in conducting the study. The study was financed by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH 56630) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA012237).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Rolf Loeber

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Dustin A. Pardini

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Alison Hipwell

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Magda Stouthamer-Loeber

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Kate Keenan

  6. Pinny Associates, 201 North Craig Street Suite 320, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

    Mark A. Sembower

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  1. Rolf Loeber
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  2. Dustin A. Pardini
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  3. Alison Hipwell
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  4. Magda Stouthamer-Loeber
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Correspondence to Rolf Loeber.

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Loeber, R., Pardini, D.A., Hipwell, A. et al. Are There Stable Factors in Preadolescent Girls’ Externalizing Behaviors?. J Abnorm Child Psychol 37, 777–791 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9320-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-009-9320-6

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