Psychometric properties of the sutter-eyberg student behavior inventory-revised with preschool children

doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(03)80018-7

Behavior Therapy

Volume 34, Issue 1, Winter 2003, Pages 1-15

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7894(03)80018-7 Get rights and content

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a revised teacher rating scale of disruptive behavior with preschool-aged children. The Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory-Revised (SESBI-R) was completed by teachers of 74 nonreferred preschoolers and 49 children referred for evaluation of behavior problems, age 3 to 6. Results of the study demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency, testrestest stability, and inter-teacher agreement, as well as the absence of systematic bias in scores over repeated administration. Analyses also showed no differences in SESBI-R scores by children's age, gender, or ethnicity. Evidence of convergent, discriminant, incremental, and discriminative validity was demonstrated, in addition to criterion validity for the factor scores of the SESBI-R. The results of this study suggest that the SESBI-R is a promising instrument for measuring classroom behavior problems in preschoolers.

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There were two RCTs (Chaffin et al., 2004; Thomas & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2011) and one case study (Warren et al., 2021) that utilized psychometric measures that did not rely on parent/caregiver self-report. Warren et al. (2021) used the Teacher Report Form (TRF; Achenbach, 2009) and Thomas and Zimmer-Gembeck (2011) used the TRF and Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory (SESBI; Querido & Eyberg, 2003). Both of these measures parallel the caregiver versions of the CBCL and ECBI, and are completed by the child's teacher or educator.
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A systematic review of five electronic databases was undertaken. Studies that utilized PCIT to treat a population who had experienced trauma were included in the review regardless of study design.
PCIT was used to treat a population who had experienced trauma in 40 studies. PCIT was an effective treatment in improving a variety of child and parent outcomes in this population including reduced parenting stress, child behavior problems, child trauma symptoms, parental mental health concerns, negative parenting strategies, and reducing potential risk of recidivism of abuse and neglect. These findings should be taken with caution given attrition rates and potential for bias in the study samples.
Clinicians should consider PCIT as a potential treatment for children who have experienced trauma and their families. Future research should incorporate corroborative sources of information, assessment of caregiver and child trauma symptoms, examination of permanency outcomes, and consider standardization of PCIT modifications for child trauma to determine treatment in this population of children.
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The present study examined whether teacher–child closeness and conflict across kindergarten and first grade varied by gender and disruptive behavior at kindergarten entry within a sample of 324 predominantly Black children from low-income, urban households. Three main findings emerged from the analyses. First, contrary to findings from previous work that revealed stability in closeness and conflict across the first few years of elementary school, this study identified significant changes in closeness across the kindergarten and first grade years. Second, girls experienced more closeness with teachers than boys across both kindergarten and first grade, and the rate of change in teacher–child closeness differed by child gender across time. Finally, across both school years, associations between gender and teacher–child conflict varied by level of disruptive behavior at the beginning of kindergarten, such that boys with high levels of disruptive behavior experienced more overall conflict with teachers than girls with high levels of disruptive behavior.
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Citation Excerpt :
The Problem scale assesses the teacher’s perception of the behavior as being problematic, rated as either yes or no. Each scale yields a total raw score, converted to normed T scores with scores ≥ 60 indicating clinically significant behavior concerns. The SESBI-R has demonstrated high test–retest reliability and sensitivity to changes over the course of treatment, in addition to high discriminant and predictive validity (Querido & Eyberg, 2003). Internal consistency for Intensity items in the current sample was high (baseline α = .96, post α = .97, follow-up α = .97).
Using a pilot matched-pairs cluster-randomized control trial, we evaluated the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of universal Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT-U) with students with disabilities in early special education programs. Twelve classrooms (clusters) were paired by age and type and then randomly assigned within pairs to either TCIT-U (81 students, 20 teachers) or wait-list control (63 students, 16 teachers) with services as usual. We analyzed the effects of TCIT-U on (a) teachers’ skills acquisition via masked observational coding and (b) students’ behavior and developmental functioning via teacher questionnaires. For child-directed interaction skills, teachers receiving TCIT-U exhibited significantly greater increases in behavior descriptions and labeled praise than teachers who did not receive TCIT-U at posttreatment and follow-up. No significant group differences were observed in use of teacher-directed interaction skills. Qualitative data from teachers expanded on these findings, suggesting that teachers found child-directed interaction skills more acceptable than teacher-directed interaction skills. Teachers receiving TCIT-U reported small but significant improvements in student behavior problems and socioemotional functioning at posttreatment and follow-up, as compared to wait-list students. We discuss considerations for future implementation and tailoring of TCIT for young students with disabilities, which may have positive impacts on future cohorts of students beyond teachers’ initial training.
Teleconsultation: The use of technology to improve evidence-based practices in rural communities
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Citation Excerpt :
The Sutter–Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory — Revised was used as a descriptive measure of student behavior prior to beginning the study. It has been found to have high internal consistency (Intensity scale .98, Problem scale .96; Rayfield, Eyberg, & Foote, 1998) and strong content and construct validity (Querido & Eyberg, 2003). The inventory contains two scales, an Intensity scale and a Problem Scale.
Problem-solving consultation in schools has been found to be an effective method of service delivery to support teachers who are struggling to address student social–emotional behavioral (SEB) concerns. Despite its benefits, a number of barriers (e.g., lack of time and limited access to trained professionals) restrict the use of consultation within schools, especially in rural settings. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of teleconsultation designed to improve behavior support to students living in rural communities. Both student outcomes and teacher perceptions were evaluated. Results indicated that (a) student disruptive behaviors improved through the implementation of an individualized behavior support plan developed through teleconsultation, and (b) teachers found the teleconsultation experience acceptable and feasible. As the demands placed on psychologists and the quality of videoconferencing continue to increase, teleconsultation is becoming a viable option for service delivery within rural school settings.
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2015, Behavior Therapy
Citation Excerpt :
For the Problem Scale, they rate yes or no if they consider the frequency of the behavior to be problematic. One-week test-retest reliability coefficients were .81 for the Intensity Scale and .84 for the Problem Scale in a sample of 3- to 6-year-old children (Querido & Eyberg, 2003). Internal consistency for the Intensity and Problem scales at baseline in this study was .98 and .95, respectively.
Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), adapted from Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), is a classroom-based program designed to provide teachers with behavior management skills that foster positive teacher-student relationships and to improve student behavior by creating a more constructive classroom environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate TCIT in more classrooms than previously reported in the literature, with older children than previously reported, using random assignment of classrooms to TCIT or to a no-TCIT control condition and conducting all but two sessions within the classroom to enhance feasibility. Participants included 11 kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers and their 118 students from three urban, public schools in Manhattan, with five classrooms randomly assigned to receive TCIT and six to the no-TCIT control condition. Observations of teacher skill acquisition were conducted before, during, and after TCIT for all 11 teachers, and teacher reports of student behavior were obtained at these same time points. Teacher satisfaction with TCIT was assessed following training. Results suggested that after receiving TCIT, teachers increased rates of positive attention to students’ appropriate behavior, decreased rates of negative attention to misbehavior, reported significantly less distress related to student disruptive behavior, and reported high satisfaction with the training program. Our study supports the growing evidence-base suggesting that TCIT is a promising approach for training teachers in positive behavior management strategies and for improving student disruptive behavior in the classroom.

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^*: This work was supported by the grant 99F-0110 from the Children's Miracle Network awarded to Jane Querido.

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Original ResearchPsychometric properties of the sutter-eyberg student behavior inventory-revised with preschool children*

Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/2–3 and 1992 Profile

Child/adolescent behavioral and emotional problems: Implications of cross-informant correlations for situational specificity

Psychological Bulletin

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

Child behavior rating scales and checklists

The Preschool Behavior Questionnaire

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

Comorbidity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with conduct, depressive, anxiety, and other disorders

American Journal of Psychiatry

Follow-up of hard to manage preschoolers: Adjustment at age 9 and predictors of continuing symptoms

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry

Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for behavioral science

Revision and restandardization of the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R): Factor structure, reliability, and criterion validity

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology

Original Research
Psychometric properties of the sutter-eyberg student behavior inventory-revised with preschool children*