Teachers' assumptions regarding the severity, causes, and outcomes of behavioral problems in preschoolers: implications for referral

Exploring the Ability of Educators to Identify Behaviors Indicative of Emerging Psychopathologies in Elementary School Students: Assessing the Use of a Novel Vignette Measure

The present study sought to assess the ability of teachers to identify emerging mental health disorders through a novel vignette measure. Canadian certified primary grade teachers (N = 101) completed a survey that included a novel vignette measure. Participants rated the severity of fictitious student behaviors depicted in several vignettes and their accuracy was calculated based on how closely their ratings matched the severity of symptoms depicted. Accuracy estimates derived through this measure differed considerably from previous vignette measure paradigms, producing much lower estimates of identification accuracy. A binomial logistics regression indicated that neither the gender nor pathology depicted in the vignettes significantly influenced rating accuracy. This novel vignette measure may represent a quick and effective means of assessing the accuracy of teachers in identifying emerging mental health disorders in their students.

The effects of race and problem type on teachers' assessments of student behavior

The authors tested the hypothesis that race bias in teacher evaluations may be problem specific by examining the extent to which ratings of child behavior were influenced by the interaction between the race of the child and the type of presenting behavior. Teachers (N = 197) were presented with three vignettes (overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and "normal"), systematically paired with a photograph of a male child (African American, Asian American, or Caucasian). Respondents rated the seriousness, referability, and typicality of the behavior; the child's family life; academic ability and performance; and causal dimensions. Although results did not reveal a bias in the ratings of African American students, data suggest that stereotypes remain embedded in teachers' interpretive framework for Asian Americans, particularly regarding expectations of overcontrolled traits.

Pathways to a child mental health service

The mothers of 46 children who had been assessed by staff from a child mental health service were interviewed about the process by which they had come to be referred. The sequence of contacts with agencies was described and children coming via different pathways compared. Contacts with school teaching staff, and general practitioners were commonly part of the pathway, and health visitors were an important group of carers for younger children. When children had had contact with general practitioners and health visitors they were likely to be referred directly to the mental health service, but school staff had mostly sought help from other agencies.

Child demographics and DSM diagnosis: a multi-axis study

Using all five axes of the DSM-III, this study explored variations by gender, race age, and socioeconomic status in diagnoses given to children at an outpatient child guidance clinic. Overall, boys, minorities, and low income children were more likely to receive the more serious diagnoses on the DSM-III and to be given the diagnoses that are least likely to go into remission with the passage of time. Alternative explanations for these findings of differences are discussed, and implications for practice and research are identified.

Adult attitudes toward over- and undercontrolled child problems: urban and rural parents and teachers from Thailand and the United States

In a study of adult attitudes, urban and rural parents and teachers in Thailand and the U.S. made judgments about two children, one with overcontrolled problems (e.g. shyness, fear), one with undercontrolled problems (e.g. disobedience, fighting). Consistent with previous literature, Thais (vs Americans) rated problems of both types less serious, less worrisome, less likely to reflect personality traits, and more likely to improve with time. Urban-rural differences and parent-teacher differences had negligible impact. The findings suggest that certain cultural differences in adult attitudes toward child problems may be robust across parents and teachers and across urban and rural settings.