THE CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOUR QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COMPLETION BY TEACHERS IN AN ITALIAN SAMPLE. PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Abstract

Summary An Italian version of the “Children's Behaviour Questionnaire” was completed by teachers of 461 children aged 6–13 years in some primary and secondary schools of Verona City. Good re‐test and inter‐rater reliability were demonstrated for the total score, the antisocial sub‐score and most of the single items, the neurotic sub‐score yielding lower coefficients of agreement. Completed questionnaires were obtained for 41 children of the same age range attending Child Guidance Centers. A total score of 9 or more was confirmed as the best discriminator between clinic and non‐clinic children. The scale showed a sensitivity of 0.83 and a fairly valid discriminative power between neurotic and antisocial conditions. Preliminary results are discussed and suggestions for the use of this questionnaire in Italian samples are outlined.