This study investigated the willingness of Israeli adolescents to seek help for emotional and health problems, and their preference for various helping agents. Nearly fifteen hundred students in grades 7-12 participated in a comprehensive survey of attitudes, health status, and concerns, and the data were analyzed. Gender and age were identified as factors associated with help-seeking attitudes. Females reported a higher level of distress and greater willingness to seek help than did males. Younger adolescents tended to state that they would turn to parents for help, whereas older adolescents increasingly preferred peers. In general, the adolescents preferred to seek help from family and peers for emotional and social problems, rather than turning to professionals. Adolescents in grades 9-10 reported the highest level of distress and were least willing to seek help for interpersonal problems and depressed mood. Overall, level of distress was not directly related to willingness to seek help. In subgroups of depressed and suicidal adolescents, an inverse relationship was found between willingness to seek help and levels of depression and suicidal ideation. Recommendations for health care services and counseling programs are discussed.

Responses to the Social Situation Survey were coded into a series of five hierarchical categories based on their sophistication, and data were examined using an IRT Rasch methodology. The analysis for both groups found high levels of item and case fit, showing the strong psychometric characteristics of the research instrument. Comparison between the latent structures of the domain of social problem-solving for the two groups of respondents showed differences in item difficulties of 9 items for respondents with developmental disabilities. Respondents with developmental disabilities found employment related social problems as difficult to effectively solve followed by social skills in the community and in an independent living situation. Suggestions for further research on theoretical aspects of social problem-solving are presented.

Responses to the Social Situation Survey were coded into a series of five hierarchical categories based on their sophistication, and data were examined using an IRT Rasch methodology. The analysis for both groups found high levels of item and case fit, showing the strong psychometric characteristics of the research instrument. Comparison between the latent structures of the domain of social problem-solving for the two groups of respondents showed differences in item difficulties of 9 items for respondents with developmental disabilities. Respondents with developmental disabilities found employment related social problems as difficult to effectively solve followed by social skills in the community and in an independent living situation. Suggestions for further research on theoretical aspects of social problem-solving are presented.

This article describes an intervention study based on an alternative model of social skills instruction using a multiple-baseline design across three boys with severe behavioral disorders. The treatment model does not assume a social skill deficit, but rather a deficit in self-regulatory behavior leading to inappropriate use of behaviors already in the individual's repertoire. Self-monitoring procedures were used to cue participants to use their social skills, were effective in altering participants' social behaviors, and created maintained positive change. Data highlight the promise of the activation model as both a theoretical and a treatment methodology warranting further study. Directions for further research are presented.

We examined an alternative model to social skills and social competence training through conceptualizing social skills deficits according to a dichotomous model of either (a) not possessing the necessary skill in the behavioral repertoire or (b) possessing the skill but not using it appropriately. We hypothesized that many skills deficits could be explained by the latter interpretation. Using an ABAC design we compared the use of two behavioral monitoring systems: self-monitoring and group monitoring of social skills while playing board games. The data suggest substantial increases in prosocial behaviors along with concomitant reductions in antisocial behaviors as a result of the two monitoring procedures. Data also show generalization across gaming situations and maintenance over time. Suggestions are presented for further research to isolate the role of self-regulation in social skills research. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

We examined the effects of a cross-age peer-tutoring program on the social skills of 2 sixth-grade and 2 kindergarten socially rejected and isolated boys. Peer tutoring consisted of the older boys conducting social skills training with their younger tutees. The frequency of positive social interactions increased for all 4 boys, with maintenance of treatment gains following a 5-week interval.

This paper describes the development of a measure of readiness for 1st grade. The Readiness Inventory (RI) consists of 6 items, uses a 4-point rating scale, and has an alpha of 0.86. The RI was completed on 139 1st-grade children and analyzed using a polytomous rating scale model of Item Response Theory. The instrument shows a high level of item and case fit. Based on an item map which elucidates the latent trait of school readiness as perceived by 1st-grade teachers, behaviors dealing with academic skills are less indicative of readiness than abilities dealing with with role-governed behaviors or strategic learning behaviors. The RI was then validated through the examination of 2 different groups of preschool children: those who underwent an intensive school readiness preparation training (the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters or HIPPY) and those who did not participate in any such program. Scores on the RI were significantly higher for HIPPY graduates vs non-HIPPY graduates. A breakdown by sex revealed that only HIPPY boys out-performed their non-HIPPY boy peers on the RI. This validation study suggests that the RI is able to discriminate between ready and non-ready children. ((c) 1999 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)

We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28-item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.

We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28-item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.

We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28-item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.

We used an item response theory (IRT) measurement model to examine the 28-item Conners Teacher's Rating Scale (CTRS) for the diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using an Israeli sample of 453 pairs of respondents (parents and teachers), we broke down our sample into nonclinical (n = 306) and clinical (n = 147) subsamples. IRT analyses based on a rating scale model revealed structural inadequacies involving the apparent inappropriateness of the 4-point Likert-type scale used by the CTRS. Additionally, IRT analyses were able to shed light on differences in the structure of the latent trait for the ADHD variable as measured by the CTRS for all four groups of respondents. Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD are presented.

Investigates whether both quantitative and qualitative differences exist between the ability of 29 adults with vs 101 adults without mental retardation to perceive facial affect. The Test of Understanding of Facial Affect was developed using an item response theory (Rasch) analysis on Ss without mental retardation and administered to both groups. Cumulative score differences between the 2 groups were expected and found. The Rasch analysis uncovered a difference in the structure of the latent trait of understanding of facial affect between the 2 groups. In view of these qualitative differences, the argument is presented that quantitative differences in the 2 groups are irrelevant. Results suggest that qualitative differences may partially account for the traditionally limited scope of generalization and maintenance of treatment effects of social skills training with persons with mental retardation. ((c) 1997 APA/PsycINFO, all rights reserved)