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Type of Document Dissertation Author McMillan, Jacquelyn Denise URN etd-11172003-223609 Title Development of the Level of Stability Index for Children (LSIC): Determining Indicators of Emotional and Behavioral Stability in Children Degree Doctor of Philosophy Department Social Work, School of Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Neil Abell Committee Chair Joyce Carbonell Committee Member Nicholas Mazza Committee Member Keywords
- Rapid Assessment Instrument
- Children
- Depression
- Suicidal Ideation
- Anger
- Self-Report
- Aggression
Date of Defense 2003-11-04 Availability unrestricted Abstract DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEVEL OF STABILITY INDEX FOR CHILDREN (LSIC): DETERMINING INDICATORS OF EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL STABILITY IN CHILDREN
Name: Jacquelyn Denise McMillan
Department: School of Social Work
Major Professor: Neil Abell
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Term Degree Awarded: Fall, 2003
Objective: Research with children has been hindered by the lack of standardized assessment instruments that address child emotional and behavioral problems. Very few self-report instruments have been developed focusing on harmful tendencies in children A measure that can capture a child’s perceived propensity towards self-harm or harm to others, such as the LSIC, would fill the gap in clinical assessment and practice research. The LSIC can also be a useful medium through which child-related policies can be improved. This dissertation describes the development of the Level of Stability Index for Children (LSIC), a multidimensional, self-report, rapid assessment instrument to assess the harmful emotional and behavioral tendencies children may exhibit. The LSIC describes one’s propensity toward depression, suicidal ideation, anger, and aggression.
Method: Assessments were conducted with 426 children from various school and agency settings. Emotional and behavioral indicators were assessed using the LSIC and two measures for construct validation: The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992) and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI; Spielberger, 1999).
Results: Strong evidence was found for reliability, content, factorial, and construct validity. Factorial validity was tested using the multiple groups method and structural equation modeling. Convergent and discriminant construct validity were also examined.
Conclusion: The LSIC shows great promise as a tool that can be used to assess harmful tendencies in children and youth. It showed strong evidence of reliability and validity for younger children (7-12 years of age) as well as adolescents (13-18 years of age).
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