Assessment of preschool psychopathology in Serbia

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 (CBCL/1.5-5) and Caregiver-Teacher Report Form (C-TRF) are widely used but their utility in Serbia was unexamined.
• Understanding emotional and behavioral problems in Serbian preschoolers is crucial for early intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the rates and distribution of emotional and behavioral problems in Serbian 4-6-year-old children.
• To investigate country differences between Serbian and U.S. samples, gender differences, and cross-informant agreement.
• To assess the applicability of the Serbian versions of the CBCL/1.5-5 and C-TRF.

Main Methods:

• Parents and teachers of 512 preschoolers in Novi Sad, Serbia, completed the CBCL/1.5-5 and C-TRF, respectively.
• Internal consistency was analyzed using Cronbach's alpha, and score comparisons used t-tests.
• Cross-informant agreement was calculated using correlation coefficients.

Main Results:

• The prevalence rate for the CBCL/1.5-5 Total Problems score in the clinical range was 13.4%.
• Boys scored significantly higher than girls on externalizing problems, with no gender differences in internalizing problems.
• Parent reports showed more problems than teacher reports, with a mean cross-informant correlation of 0.24.

Conclusions:

• The Serbian versions of the CBCL/1.5-5 and C-TRF demonstrate applicability for assessing emotional and behavioral problems in Serbian preschoolers.
• The findings support the use of these instruments in clinical and research settings within Serbia.
• Results highlight the importance of considering informant differences and gender in behavioral assessments.