Patterns of disturbance in behaviorally maladjusted children and adolescents

Factorially-based dimensions of disturbance in children vary markedly across adjusted and maladjusted subpopulations; hence, maladjusted children's behavior patterns must be assessed against dimensions of disturbance found among other maladjusted children. Within this context, 510 5- to 15-year-old children (viz., 307 boys and 203 girls) were identified as the significantly maladjusted segment of the random normative population for the revised Bristol Social Adjustment Guides (BSAG). Teacher's behavioral ratings of these children on the BSAG's core syndromes and associated item groupings were subjected to principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation. Two dimensions emerged: The first, a unique bipolar continuum of generally overreactive vs. unforthcoming behavior; the second, a dimension of constricted socioemotional reactions. Tests for significance of exclusive syndromic variation further revealed that several of the BSAG's syndrome carry enough stable and distinct variance to warrant their consideration as specific qualities of disturbance among maladjusted children and adolescents.