The Role of Externalizing Problems and Empathy on the Daily Report Card

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Behavioral Interventions
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• The daily report card (DRC) is a widely used school-home behavioral intervention.
• It involves teachers rating child performance and parents providing home rewards.
• Understanding factors influencing DRC effectiveness is crucial for optimizing interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between child externalizing problems (inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problems), empathy, and DRC components.
• To examine how child characteristics influence the types of DRC goals chosen.
• To explore the relationship between child externalizing problems and teacher/parent adherence to the DRC.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 71 children (ages 7-11) with inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors participated.
• Teachers and parents completed baseline measures of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, conduct problems, and empathy.
• DRC goal types, adherence, and performance were tracked over a four-week intervention period.

Main Results:

• Inattention predicted more academic goals; hyperactivity/impulsivity predicted more behavioral goals; conduct problems predicted more social-emotional goals.
• Hyperactivity/impulsivity was associated with better parental adherence (more frequent rewards).
• Baseline empathy predicted better overall DRC performance; externalizing problems did not negatively impact performance.

Conclusions:

• The DRC is a flexible behavioral tool adaptable to individual child needs and externalizing problem severity.
• Empathy is a significant factor in improving overall child behavior within DRC protocols.
• Tailoring DRC goals and interventions based on child characteristics can enhance treatment outcomes.