Children’s Behavioural Problems Questionnaires

Three scales were used to identify behavioural problems o f children: a) Rutter A2 scale, b) Rutter B scale, and c) Child Behaviour Inventory (CBI).

While the first scale (Rutter A2) identified the behaviour of the children based on the mother’s input, the second scale (Rutter B) measured the types o f psychological disorders through the teachers’ evaluation. The CBI scale included two main parts: a) mental health problems (depression, anxiety and hostility), and b) adaptional behaviour (planful and prosocial behaviours). The following is a detailed explanation o f the children’s scales:

5.2.2.1 Rutter A2 scale (Rutter et al., 1970) (Appendix E)

It is one o f the scales used to identify children’s pathological behaviour disorder and includes thirty-one items, eight o f which are related to health disorders, while five are related to habits and eighteen related to behaviour. Some items’ points are not calculated in the total score, but they provided additional information about the status and its use in the categorisation (Rutter et al., 1970). The total scale score arises between (0) and (62). The score for each item is between zero and two points.

A zero score indicates that the problem either exists within a normal degree or does not exist at all. A one-point score means that the problem exists in not so acute a manner, while a two-point score means that the problem is severe. The mothers, based on the observation o f their child’s behaviour, complete the questionnaire data. Disorders are indicated if the child scores 13 or more, and is categorised as neurotic,

antisocial or undifferentiated. More precise distinction o f the child’s existing

disorders can be reached in the framework o f these three categories, through comparison o f their total scores obtained from particular items in the scale.

The scale is known to have a high validity and reliability through piloting conducted by Rutter et al., (1975) as well as Berger (1992), on a sample o f children between 6 and 16 years. The Rutter A2 scale also has a high validity and reliability in the studies conducted in other countries. Allodi (1989) found the Rutter A2 scale to be highly valid and reliable in different environments, especially in third world countries and immigrants who live in industrial societies.

The scale was also administered on Kuwaiti children to assess behavioural problems that may have developed due to the Iraqi occupation, in a study conducted by Al-Hammadi et al., (1993:2). The researcher has also used the scale in the present study, after validating its reliability, when the alpha factor reached 80%, for the children who were divided into two main categories:

i) First category: Children with normal behaviour who scored less than 13 points.

ii) Second category: Children with pathological behaviour who scored 13 points

or more, were further categorised into three groups:

First group: Children with neurotic behaviour

Second group: Children with antisocial behaviour

Third group: Children with undifferentiated behaviour, i.e., problematic

behaviours that cannot be diagnosed as neurotic or antisocial.

Children can be categorised within one o f these three groups, based on partial scores for neurotic as well as antisocial behaviours. If the former is higher than the latter, the child will be categorised in the neurotic group. If the latter is higher than the former, the child will be categorised in the antisocial group. If the two scores o f the child are equal for both the neurotic and antisocial items, the child will be categorised under the undifferentiated group.

The Rutter A2 scale outcome was used in this study through identification of children’s behavioural patterns and based on the differences among these behavioural patterns according to the variables o f stress and mothers’ psychological symptoms.

5.2.2.2 Rutter B scale (Appendix F)

This scale is also one o f the validated scales used in identifying children’s psychological disorders (SDO documents). The scale consists o f 26 items, each of which has three responses graded as (0), (1) and (2) indicating as follows:

(0): the item does not apply (1): the item applies poorly

(2): that the item has an exact application for the child.

The total score o f the scale is (52) points and the child is considered as having behavioural problems when he/she scores (9) points and more. The researcher also conducted an authentic reliability o f the scale and the alpha value factor reached (0.85). In the current study, the Rutter B scale was completed by the teacher o f each child. The scale was administered under two categories:

i) First category: Normal children who scored less than (9) points.

ii) Second category: Children with behavioural problems who received (9) points

and more, were classified into three groups based on their earned points for emotional as well as conduct disorder items, as follows:

First group: children with emotional disorders who have a higher score for such items than the conduct disorders items.

Second group: children with conduct disorders and who have a higher score for such items than the emotional disorders items.

Third group: children with undifferentiated disorders with similar scores for both emotional and conduct disorder items.

The outcome of the Rutter B scale was used in this current study to identify the existence o f various types of behavioural problems in children and their differences, based on the variables o f their mothers’ stress and psychological symptoms.