Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2020-03-16T00:00:00Z
The Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale aims to measure early signs of aggression. In the ‘Een Goed begin’ longitudinal study, aggressive traits of 152 infants (85 of them boys) were assessed...Show moreThe Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale aims to measure early signs of aggression. In the ‘Een Goed begin’ longitudinal study, aggressive traits of 152 infants (85 of them boys) were assessed using the CICS. In this study, reliability and validity of the instrument were examined. Internal consistency was .44 for children aged 6 months, and .54 for children around 12 months old. For children aged 12 months old in the low-risk part of our sample however, this number increased to .68. Test-retest reliability between these two time points was .20. In validity analysis, a correlation was expected between CICs ratings and infant temperament as well as physical aggression. At 6 months old the CICS correlated with several aspects of infant temperament (r = -.32, -.24, .37, p <.01) while at 12 months old there were no correlations between the CICS and infant temperament. At 12 months of age, a correlation was found with physical aggression scores (r = .34, p >.01) . Since reliability and validity were not found to be sufficient, caution must be exercised when using the CICS as a measure of infant aggression in research and practice.Show less
Little is known about the number of young people who have to deal with problem behavior and what factors are causing or have influence on this problem behavior. It is claimed that Moroccan...Show moreLittle is known about the number of young people who have to deal with problem behavior and what factors are causing or have influence on this problem behavior. It is claimed that Moroccan adolescents show more problem behavior than Dutch adolescents, but whether that is the truth can be doubted. The present study examined how self-esteem and four types of problem behavior are related. This is done with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. These four types of problem behavior are emotional problems, behavioral problems, problems with peers and hyperactivity/inattention. In addition it is examined whether ethnicity has a moderating role in the relation between self-esteem and the four types of problem behavior. In the present study 403 adolescents participated, 214 native Dutch participants and 189 participants of Moroccan origin. First, the study showed a correlation between self-esteem and four types of problem behavior; this correlation was stronger for the Moroccan participants than for the native Dutch participants. Second, the Dutch participants showed more self-esteem than the participants of Moroccan origin. Third, the participants were found to differ in problem behavior, except for emotional problems; the Dutch participants showed more hyperactivity/inattention, the participants of Moroccan origin showed more problems with peers and more behavioral problems. Finally, the study showed that ethnicity does not play a moderating role in the relationship between self-esteem and the four types of problem behavior. In general it can be concluded that self-esteem and problem behavior are related, but that ethnicity is not a moderator in this relation.Show less
