Behavior Problems of African American Boys and Girls Attending Head Start Programs in Violent Neighborhoods
Title:
Behavior Problems of African American Boys and Girls Attending Head Start Programs in Violent Neighborhoods
Author:
Randolph, Suzanne M. Koblinsky, Sally A. Beemer, Martha A. Roberts, Debra D. Letiecq, Bethany L.
Appeared in:
Early education and development
Paging:
Volume 11 (2000) nr. 3 pages 339-356
Year:
2000-05-01
Contents:
This article examined behavior problems exhibited by African American children attending Head Start centers in violent neighborhoods. Children's scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)/parent form were compared to the mean scores for the CBCL's non-clinical standardization sample on the internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scales. The Head Start children's scores were not significantly different from the standardization sample on the internalizing scale, but both boys and girls in the study sample had significantly higher scores on the externalizing and total problem scales than their respective gender group in the standardization sample. There were no significant differences in the T scores of boys and girls in this study on any of the three behavior problem scales. The study also examined percentages of boys and girls with behavior problems in the more severe ranges. Higher percentages of boys than girls had severe internalizing problems, while higher percentages of girls than boys had severe externalizing problems. Analyses of total behavior problem scores revealed no significant differences between boys and girls in the severe ranges. Implications of findings for research, practice, and policy are discussed within the sociocultural contexts of the families and communities in the study.