Externalising and internalising behaviour problems in Pakistani adolescents

• Main Author: Soomro, Nazar Hussain
• Published: University of York 2010
• Subjects: 155.508991412
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.583338

The major aim of this thesis was a psychometric exploration of the relationship between the three factor model of emotional style and internalising and externalising behaviour problems among Pakistani adolescents using a newly developed scale. An early aim was to examine the validity of the Emotional Behaviour Scale (EBS; Clarbour & Roger, 2004) in a Pakistani population, although this was subsequently revised to the development of an indigenous measure of Emotional Behaviour Scale for Pakistani Adolescents (EBS-PA). The EBS-PA was based upon the model of emotional style proposed by Clarbour and Roger (2004). Exploratory principal axis factor analyses were carried out on the responses of a sample of264 schoolchildren (age range 12 to 15 years) belonging to various high schools in Hyderabad, Pakistan to an item pool derived from a scenario study. The factor analysis yielded three factors, labelled social anxiety, malevolent aggression and social self- esteem like the original EBS, all of which showed satisfactory internal (coefficient alpha) and re-test reliability. The factor structure of the EBS-PA was subsequently replicated in a separate sample aged between 12 to 15 years (total N = 486) using confirmatory factor analysis. Evidence for convergent and divergent validity was provided through measures of internalising and externalising behaviours, together with measures of empathy and aggression. These studies demonstrate the EBS-PA is a promising measure of emotional and behavioural problems in Pakistani adolescents, which has potential for use as a screening instrument for internalising and externalising behaviour problems in adolescents in Pakistan. The EBS-PA was administered to 750 Year 8 schoolchildren in Pakistan, where a significant gender difference was found on the EBS-PA subscales; girls scored higher on social anxiety and boys scored higher on malevolent aggression and social self- esteem, as expected. Further, using ROC analyses cut-off scores for the EBS-PA social anxiety and malevolent aggression subscales were determined to estimate the prevalence and risk rate of internalising and externalising problems across the range of socio economic classes for each gender in Pakistani adolescents. The results showed that more girls than boys were categorised at high risk of internalising behaviour. In contrast, more boys than girls were found to be at high risk of externalising problems.