Prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and their relation to adjustment among Chinese-American youth

Abstract

Objective: The primary purpose of this investigation is to assess psychiatric symptoms of Chinese-American children using Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and to determine the impact of acculturation on these symptoms.

Method: One hundred eighty-one forms of a Chinese CBCL and a 10-item questionnaire on adjustment and ethnic patterns of socialization were completed by a parent or guardian of Chinese-American children attending a Chinese school in New York City.

Results: The sample's total problem, internalizing, externalizing, total competence, activities, and social scores were significantly lower than Achenbach's American norms by age and sex. Favorable adjustment was correlated significantly with lower total problem and internalizing scores. Recent immigrants did not have higher symptom scores.

Conclusion: Lower scores of the Chinese-American children may be due to temperamental differences, underreporting by the respondent, or cultural intolerance of misbehavior.