Examination of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Discrepancy

Examination of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory Discrepancy Hypothesis Ashley M. Butler, MS Sheila M. Eyberg, Ph. D Elizabeth V. Brestan, Ph. D The 6 th Annual Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Conference January 28, 2006

The ECBI m Measures child disruptive behavior q q m parent-report 36 -items Has two scales q Intensity Scale l q severity of disruptive behavior Problem Scale l parent perception of child’s behavior

The ECBI m Clinical utility in PCIT q q Measure of initial behavior severity Measure of behavior change Measure of behavior severity outcome Measure of treatment maintenance

Additional Clinical Utility m ECBI scales positively correlated m ECBI Discrepancy Hypothesis q ECBI is an indirect measure of problematic parenting styles when scale scores are discrepant in either direction

T Score Discrepancy Hypothesis

Purpose and Specific Aims m Examine Discrepancy Hypothesis m Aim One q m Examine whether ECBI discrepancy scores predict parental tolerance for child misbehavior Aim Two q Examine whether an ECBI discrepancy marker could be used to identify parents with deviant tolerance levels for child’s misbehavior

Measures m Demographic Questionnaire m ECBI m Child Rearing Inventory (CRI) (Brestan et al. , 2003) q q q Parent tolerance for child misbehavior Cronbach’s alpha =. 72 2 -wk test-retest stability =. 69 Convergent validity Standardization included 37% African Americans

Participants q q Recruited from pediatric clinics and preschools in Gainesville, FL Female primary caregiver self-identified African American l Child 3 -5 years (Total N = 139) Boys = 51%; Girls = 49% Low Middle SES Hollingshead Index of Social Status = 31

Discrepancy Theory m Do ECBI discrepancy scores predict parental tolerance for child misbehavior? q Raw scores converted into T scores q Calculated discrepancy scores l l l Subtract Intensity T score from Problem T score T-score difference > 10 is significant Negative discrepancy score = Problem score higher Positive discrepancy score = Intensity score higher Scores ranged from – 40 to 33

Discrepancy Theory m Simple linear regression q DV = Parent tolerance (CRI) l q m m m higher scores = lower tolerance for misbehavior IV = Discrepancy scores F(1, 137) = 4. 82 r = -. 18* ECBI discrepancy scores significantly predicted parent tolerance for child misbehavior

Discrepancy Theory m Can a discrepancy marker identify parents with deviant tolerance levels for child’s misbehavior?

Discrepancy Theory n % sample Higher Problem Score “Intolerant” group 15 11% Higher Intensity Score “Permissive”group 10 7% Non-discrepant Scores “Non-discrepant” group 114 82%

Discrepancy Theory m Three level one-way ANOVA q F (2, 21. 57) = 6. 22*; p <. 01 Parent Tolerance (CRI) Planned Contrasts t = 3. 40* t = -2. 98*

Conclusions m First empirical support for ECBI discrepancy hypothesis m Practical way to quantify ECBI discrepancy q Inform treatment planning