[Emotional and behavioral disorders at preschool age--results of a study in kindergarten children in Dortmund using the Caregiver-Teacher Report Form C-TRF/1 1/2-5].

OBJECTIVES

Currently there is a lack of screening instruments suitable for use by preschool and kindergarten teaches to assess behavioural and emotional problems in preschool children. The C-TRF/1 1/2-5 (Caregiver-Teacher Report Form for the ages 1 1/2-5) is a screening instrument designed by Achenbach to assess behavioural and emotional problems in this age group. In a joint project of the Fachhochschule Dortmund and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Ulm, in cooperation with the Youth Welfare Office Dortmund, the C-TRF/1 1/2-5 was used to assess the prevalence of psychological disturbance among kindergarten children.

METHODS

1,050 children aged 3-6 years from 46 kindergartens from the greater Dortmund urban area were rated by their caregivers on the basis of the German version of the C-TRF/1 1/2-5.

RESULTS

The reliability of C-TRF/1 1/2-5 proved to be good-to-sufficient, with internal consistencies ranging from .94 to .58. The number of behavioural and emotional problems, which is very close to that found among American preschool children, decreases with age and more strongly so among girls. The externalizing problems among boys do not decrease much, but remain quite stable from age 3 to age 6. The prevalence of internalizing problems among preschool boys and girls does not differ.

CONCLUSIONS

The German version of the C-TRF/1 1/2-5 proved to be an instrument sufficiently reliable for screening behavioural and emotional problems in preschool children. The prevalence of these psychological problems among German and American children is very similar.