Date of Award
1994
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Historically, there have been two major approaches to the classification of childhood psychopathology, the categorical and dimensional approaches. The purpose of the present study was to compare an example of each of these approaches (DSM-III-R and Child Behavior Checklist, respectively), exploring how information from the CBC can be used to differentiate between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and a clinical control. The present study also focused on predicting diagnostic category group membership using a subset of variables from the Child Behavior Checklist. Subjects were 46 Euro-American males between the ages of 4 and 11, drawn from a population of children at a midwestern community mental health agency. The Child Behavior Checklist was completed by the subject's parent or guardian, typically by the subject's mother. Diagnosis was made by two doctoral level psychologists who were employed at the same agency from which the subjects were drawn. Results of the multivariate analysis of variance were not significant at the $p=.056$ level. Given the minimal departure from the typically accepted level of significance ($p<.05$), further analysis was undertaken. Univariate analysis showed that the Delinquent Behavior and Withdrawn variables significantly differentiated between the ODD and ADHD groups. The Externalizing variable significantly differentiated among the ODD group and the two remaining diagnostic groups. No significant differences were found between the ADHD and control group. Results of the multiple discriminant analysis indicated that a subset of four of the Child Behavior Checklist variables (Delinquent Behavior, Attention Problems, Withdrawn, and Total Competence) was a significant predictor of group membership. Only one of the two possible discriminant functions was statistically significant. This function was found to differentiate between the groups in terms of "delinquent behavior," "social withdrawal," and "attentional difficulties." The implications of these results are discussed and recommendations are made for future research.
Recommended Citation
Vanhorn, David Lee, "Predicting Categorical Diagnoses Using A Dimensional Approach: Comparing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Oppositional Defiant Disorder" (1994). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 848.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/848