Competence and behavioral/emotional problems among Taiwanese adolescents as reported by parents and teachers

Objective: To investigate competence and behavioral/emotional problems among nonreferred adolescents in Taiwan, using a Chinese version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-C) and the Teacher's Report Form (TRF-C). The psychometric properties of these instruments and cross-cultural differences were also examined. Method: Parents of 854 junior high school students aged 12 to 16 years in Taipei, Taiwan, were asked to complete the CBCL-G. Among these students, 162 had their teachers' ratings on the TRF-C. Results: The internal consistency and 1-month test-retest reliability were satisfactory for both the CBCL-C and TRF-C, which were moderately correlated. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis provided same support for the validity of Achenbach's cross-informant model. Parents' reports showed that compared with their American counterparts, Taiwanese adolescents tended to have lower scores on most competence scales, higher scores on scales that reflect covert behavior problems, and lower scores on scales that reflect more overt behavior problems; However, teachers' reports showed no significant differences on most competence and behavior problem scales. Conclusion: The CBCL-C and TRF-C are useful tools for assessing the mental health status of Taiwanese adolescents. The cross-cultural differences in adolescent behavior problems are discussed.