A Spanish Translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist.
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| Title: | A Spanish Translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Curtis, Patrick A., Schmidt, Laura L. |
| Source: | Child Welfare. Sep-Oct 1993 72(5):453-460. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 8 |
| Publication Date: | 1993 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Descriptive Journal Articles |
| Descriptors: | Cubans, Dominicans, Hispanic Americans, Idioms, Language Styles, Language Variation, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Spanish, Translation |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Behavior Problem Checklist |
| ISSN: | 0009-4021 |
| Abstract: | Researchers planning to use a Spanish translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist with a primarily Puerto Rican population found that it had been designed for Cuban speakers of the language and, therefore, decided to develop a new translation. Suggests the need to be sensitive to the differences in vocabulary among Hispanic subcultures. (MDM) |
| Entry Date: | 1994 |
| Accession Number: | EJ469316 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwHqvacoy0zXKp_CH6WH6lueAAAA4jCB3wYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHRMIHOAgEAMIHIBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDPzkMjAyOm8Kxzh-EgIBEICBmoBPZkIdkVWEmc6dsv37g8LFFQQNQTZtGe4vqIh4Bs4g66KgbMkEFOyriFPUuP3QWpsBqpGE1Ik7aPERo6uWj7_l_LR6qGvpZXeEyu9LGiS2UqT6Vz5VXAGy6YTnYXc3NascQtRyZlOKxSOxs0xoAz7iU0Hd451nGDy6Afn0AdXqEXTC_ZPkKyy1B8qd6JWm8IpQUosZOoVFz7A= Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0024227335;cwf01sep.93;2007Mar05.12:15;v2.2.460</anid> <jsection id="AN0024227335-1"> PRACTICE FORUM</jsection> <title id="AN0024227335-2">A Spanish Translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist </title> <rj>As a part of a study on the mental health needs of Hispanic</rj> <rj>children, behavioral assessments were obtained using the Revised</rj> <rj>Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC). Although a Spanish translation was</rj> <rj>available, it had been designed for a primarily Cuban population.</rj> <rj>Because the population under study was approximately 80% Puerto Rican,</rj> <rj>15% Mexican, and 5% Dominican Republican, a new Spanish version was</rj> <rj>developed. It is suggested that future researchers be sensitive to the</rj> <rj>differences in vocabulary among Hispanic subcultures.</rj> <p>The Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois conducted a study of the mental health needs of 50 Hispanic children [Curtis and Schmidt 1988; Curtis 1990]. The research sought to identify and describe an initial cohort of Hispanic children for an ongoing evaluation of Program Encuentro, a service offered by the Society's VIVA Family Center in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago. Behavioral assessments of the children were obtained using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC) [Quay 1977, 1983; Quay and Peterson 1987]. Although a Spanish translation of the RBPC was available, it had been designed for a primarily Cuban population [Rio et al. 1989]. Because the population under study was approximately 80% Puerto Rican, 15% Mexican, and 5% Dominican Republican, it was decided to develop a new Spanish version. This article addresses the content validity of the new translation.[*]</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-3"> The Revised Behavior Problem Checklist </hd> <p>The RBPC contains 89 items, each of which describes a behavior commonly attributed to problem children. Respondents circle 0 (no problem), 1 (mild problem), or 2 (severe problem) for each item. Several items on the RBPC may be combined to form six subscales. They are (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref1">1</reflink>) Conduct Disorder (e.g., temper tantrums); (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref2">2</reflink>) Socialized Aggression (e.g., steals in company with others); (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref3">3</reflink>) Attention Problems/Immaturity (e.g., short attention span); (<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref4">4</reflink>) Anxiety/Withdrawal (e.g., easily embarrassed); (<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref5">5</reflink>) Psychotic Behavior (e.g., expresses strange, far-fetched ideas); and (<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref6">6</reflink>) Motor Excess (e.g., restless).</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-4"> The Research Protocols </hd> <p>The VIVA Family Center, established in 1977, is one of two neighborhood centers operated by the Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois. Program Encuentro provides mental health treatment services to children ages nine to 17 and their families. Without help, these child would be at risk of placement in out-of-home care or treatment facilities.</p> <p>Information was collected on every child in Program Encuentro in terms of ethnicity, parents' identification of behavioral problems, and attitudes toward receiving services. Because it did not seem appropriate for children to assess their own behavior, parents were interviewed either in Spanish or English and asked to identify their children's problems using the RBPC.</p> <p>Parents were interviewed at home or at the VIVA Family Center, whichever was more convenient and comfortable for the subjects. In most families with more than two children, the interviewer and parent met on more than one occasion to allow the parent(s) to distinguish the children while completing the checklists. Parents responded to the questions thoughtfully and carefully. Thirty-one (62%) of the 50 parent interviews were conducted in Spanish, 19 (38%) in English.</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-5"> Research Results </hd> <p>Parents tended to be most concerned about behavior that affected them directly as parents. Many children were described as hypersensitive, irritable, self-conscious, impatient, attention seeking, hyperactive, throwing tantrums, restless, nagging, refusing direction, argumentative, shy, and having short attention spans. The children were found to fit the profile of clinical populations as reported by Quay and Peterson [1987] and, as a group, exhibited conduct problems, aggressive behavior, immaturity, anxiety, strange behaviors, and excess motor activity.</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-6"> Content Validity </hd> <p>Content validity refers to an instrument's adequacy in measuring the concepts it is intended to measure. In the case of the RBPC, the instrument's adequacy depends on the quality of the translation. The RBPC was translated into Spanish and then field-tested on a small sample of respondents before the final version was completed. Problems encountered in translating the RBPC into Spanish can be broken down into the following categories:</p> <ct id="AN0024227335-7"> Vocabulary: translating words or phrases from the English version of the RBPC that were too sophisticated for the population under study; Ethnicity: translating English into Spanish words or idioms unique to Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, or Dominican Republicans; Americanisms: translating English words, idioms, or slang that have no equivalent meaning in Spanish; General: Translating English words or idioms into proper Spanish usage.</ct> <hd id="AN0024227335-8"> Vocabulary </hd> <p>A few problems were encountered in the use of words that were too sophisticated for the population under study. The RBPC controls for this by offering alternate explanations whenever a clinical term such as "hypersensitive" appears. The same strategy was employed in the Spanish translation. (In all of the following examples, the complete item from the RBPC appears first.)</p> <p> <bold> Item 16: Incoherent speech; what is said doesn't make sense. </bold> Although incoherent speech translates directly into Spanish as habla incoherente, none of the respondents understood it and did not answer until hearing the Spanish for what is said doesn't make sense or lo que dice no tiene sentido.</p> <p> <bold> Item 21: Hypersensitive; feelings are easily hurt. </bold> The word hipersensible exists in Spanish, but it is not common; feelings are easily hurt was expressed several ways by some respondents as se siente mal facilmente (he feels bad easily), es muy sentido, or es resentido (he is very sensitive).</p> <p> <bold> Item 29: Passive, suggestible; easily led by others. </bold> Neither Spanish word for passive or suggestible was easily understood. Most based their answers on easily led by others. Many respondents did not seem to feel that this was a negative characteristic. One mother said, "Yes, he always goes along with the group and doesn't know how to say no," but this was not said in a way that indicated it worried her. This was the only example of potential cultural bias in the RBPC encountered in the research.</p> <p> <bold> Item 47: Impulsive; starts before understanding what to do; doesn't stop and think. Impulsivo </bold> in Spanish was not understood by the majority of the respondents, but no se detiene y piensa was understood easily.</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-9"> Ethnicity </hd> <p>Some Spanish words or expressions are unique to specific subcultures. This was particularly true of the Dominican Republicans.</p> <p> <bold> Item 19: Has temper tantrums. </bold> This expression created a lot of problems. Rabieta and berrinche were suggested by the Hispanic social workers from Program Encuentro, but most respondents hesitated and then said "si, se enoja facilmente" (yes, he gets mad easily). The Dominican Republicans preferred tiene mal genio or he has a bad temper.</p> <p> <bold> Item 60. Cheats. </bold> This idea presented many more problems, in particular with the Dominican Republicans. The Spanish slang expression hace trompa was chosen because like cheats in English, hace trampa is derogatory. The expression was quickly understood by all the Mexican parents and by some of the Puerto Rican parents. Hace trampa was explained to some respondents by using engana, which means deceives or by using the example copia de otros estudiantes, he copies from other students.</p> <p> <bold> Item 65: Teases others. </bold> This was originally translated as toma elpelo de otras personas, which is a colloquial expression meaning, literally, pulls other persons' hair. All of the Mexicans and some of the Puerto Ricans understood right away, but all the Dominican Republicans laughed and had no idea what it meant. After a respondent suggested bromea, molesta (plays pranks, bothers), there were no further problems.</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-10"> Americanisms </hd> <p>Americanisms are English words or phrases that have no equivalent meaning in Spanish.</p> <p> <bold> Item 2: Seeks attention; "shows off." </bold> The phrase seeks attention in Spanish, busca atencion, was easily understood, but shows off was difficult to translate. When farolear was used, which means to boast, act cocky, most respondents answered "si, busca atencion."</p> <p> <bold> Item 24: Has "bad" companions, ones who are always in some kind of trouble. </bold> Bad was translated directly into Spanish as malos, which did not pose any problems. Trouble can be translated many ways because it has many meanings (to get in trouble, to be troubled, to have trouble doing something, to be in a lot of trouble, etc.). There is not a single word in Spanish that means all the things trouble means in English. To get in trouble does not have a word-for-word equivalent, but the Spanish colloquial expression meterse en un lio, to get involved in a mess, worked well.</p> <p> <bold> Item 30: Hyperactive, always on the go. </bold> Always on the go is an English idiom that required an equally idiomatic expression in Spanish. Siempre moviendose or always moving about was chosen.</p> <p> <bold> Item 41: Sulks and pouts. </bold> There was no problem conveying this in Spanish, but most of the respondents who preferred to speak in English had to ask for an explanation. For those who spoke a lot of Spanish, hace pucheros y se pone malhumorado was used.</p> <p> <bold> Item 42: Persists and nags; can't take no for an answer. </bold> Nags is a slang word that does not have an equivalent in Spanish. Molestar, to annoy, to bother was used. Take is often difficult to translate because of the many different meanings it has in English (especially when a preposition is added: to take in, take out, take away, take off, etc.) Each one of these translates as a different word in Spanish. There is no Spanish equivalent for take that would work with no, so no acepta una respuesta negativa, he won't accept a negative answer, was used without problems.</p> <p> <bold> Item 49: Bullies </bold> (the verb). This word does not have a Spanish equivalent so an English word with the same meaning was needed. Bullies became intimida, intimidates.</p> <p> <bold> Item 50: Picks at other children as a way of getting their attention; seems to want to relate but doesn't know how. </bold> Because picks at is slang, it does not have a direct translation. Fastidia, to annoy, bother, was chosen. To get (like to take) always creates problems because it means something different when combined with different words. Atraer, to attract was used for getting attention. A final problem in this sentense was to relate. Most Spanish words for to relate mean to tell (a story), or to refer to. Comunicar was chosen to convey the idea of relate in this context.</p> <p> <bold> Item 63: Resists leaving mother's (or caretaker's) side. Caretaker </bold> as it is used in this expression, does not exist in Spanish; it would mean a night watchman, a grounds keeper. It was translated into Spanish simply as la mujer que le cuida, the woman that cares for him/her.</p> <p> <bold> Item 64: Difficulty in making choices; can't make up one's mind. To make a choice </bold> is only one word in Spanish, escoger. Escoger entre cosas, choosing between things, was added to make the expression a little closer to the English. The idiom to make up one's mind does not exist in Spanish; to make decisions was chosen.</p> <p> <bold> Item 80: Admires and seeks to associate with rougher peers. Rougher, </bold> as it is used here, is always a problem in Spanish. Following the suggestion of the Hispanic social workers, words for scoundrel, lowlife, were used. After they were questioned a few times, malos was used along with rufianes, a more general term that is used in a lot of situations to mean "bad." Everyone seemed to understand this, which was proven by comments such as "no, all of her friends are nice girls who go to church" or "yes, he hangs around a group of guys that have been arrested and he thinks they are great."</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-11"> General </hd> <p>Judgments had to made regarding the best Spanish usage. These decisions were tested in the field and then incorporated into the final translation.</p> <p> <bold> Item 25: Tense, unable to relax. Relajar, to relax, </bold> exists in Spanish, but no respondent answered using relajar. They all used descansar, which means to rest.</p> <p> <bold> Item 46 and 72: Uses drugs/uses alcohol. </bold> These words did not present any translation problems, but it is interesting to note that, in Spanish, the verbs for to use (emplear, utilizar, usar) are incorrect here. In this case uses must be translated as abusa (abuses) and toma (takes or drinks).</p> <p> <bold> Item 55: Brags and boasts. </bold> These words were translated verbatim as se jacta y se fanfarronea, but most respondents hesitated and asked, "oh, se cree gran cosa?" ("oh, he thinks he's a big deal?") or "hablacomo si fuera gran cosa?" ("he talks as if he were a big deal?"), so these expressions were added to the translation.</p> <p> <bold> Item 68: Has trouble following directions. </bold> As was already mentioned, trouble can be translated differently depending on the context. Tiene problemas siguiendo instrucciones was used, meaning he has problems following directions.</p> <p> <bold> Item 70: Afraid to try new things for fear of failure. </bold> Translating this expression verbatim would have been confusing in Spanish because afraid and fear are the same word: tiene miedo de intentar casas neuvas par miedo de que fracase. The first part was changed to read no quiere intentar …, "he doesn't want to try new things for fear of failure."</p> <p> <bold> Item 71: Selfish; won't share; always takes the biggest piece. </bold> Both selfish and egotistical in Spanish are egoista. Takes the biggest piece, translated literally, would have been a problem in Spanish. Quiere lo mejor de todo para si mismo was chosen, meaning he wants the best of everything for himself. Within the context of selfish and won't share, it was understood easily.</p> <p> <bold> Item 75: Not liked by others; is a loner because of aggressive behavior. </bold> There were no problems translating or understanding not liked by others as no cae en gracia (bien) de otras personas. It should be noted that, in Spanish, the passive voice is not commonly used so liked had to be made an active verb in Spanish. The idiomatic expression caerse en gracia is a casual expression and fits better than querer, to like or love someone. Loner had to be changed from a noun to a verb, that is, permanece solo debido a su comportamiento agresivo, or he remains alone due to his aggressive behavior.</p> <p> <bold> Item 78 and 79: Refuses to take directions, won't do as told; Blames others, denies own mistakes. </bold> It is interesting to note that refuses and denies are the same word in Spanish. The difference in meaning is made by the reflexive pronoun se, which puts emphasis on self and, when added to certain verbs, can change the meaning. Se niega means he (himself) refuses to and niega means he denies.</p> <hd id="AN0024227335-12"> Conclusions </hd> <p>Because the English version of the RBPC had been established as valid and reliable, the primary task was the development of a quality translation. Evidence to support the content validity of the translation was garnered from extensive field testing. It is suggested that future researchers be sensitive to the differences in vocabulary between Hispanic subcultures.</p> <p>The research described in this article was funded by a grant from the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation.</p> <p>* A technical analysis of the data derived from the assessment of 50 Hispanic children supporting the translation's validity and reliability is available from the first author. The Revised Behavior Problem Checklist may be purchased from Dr. Herbert C. Quay, University of Miami Department of Psychology, P.O. Box 248185, Coral Gables, FL 33124.</p> <p>(Address requests for a reprint to Dr. Patrick A. Curtis, Child Welfare League of America, 440 First Street, NW, Suite 310, Washington, DC 20001-2085.)</p> <p>© 1993 Child Welfare League of America</p> <ref id="AN0024227335-13"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref1" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Curtis, Patrick A. "The Consequences of Acculturation to Service Delivery and Research with Hispanic Families." Child and Adolescent Social Work 7 (April 1990): 147-159.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref2" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Curtis, Patrick A., and Schmidt, Laura L. An Exploratory Study of Fifty Hispanic Children: Ethnicity, Behavioral Problems, and Attitudes Toward the Delivery of Human Services. Chicago, IL: Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois, 1988.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref3" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Quay, Herbert C. "Measuring Dimensions of Deviant Behavior: The Behavior Problem Checklist." Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 5 (1977): 277-287.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref4" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Quay, Herbert C. "A Dimensional Approach to Children's Behavior Disorder: The Revised Behavior Problem Checklist." School Psychology Review 12 (1983): 244-249.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref5" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Quay, Herbert C., and Peterson, Donald R. Manual for the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Coral Gables, FL: Author, 1987.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref6" type="bt"></bibl> <bibtext>Rio, A. T.; Quay, H. C.; Santisteban, D. A.; and Szapocznik, J. "A Factor Analytic Study of a Spanish Translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 18 (1989): 343-350.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Patrick A. Curtis and Laura L. Schmidt</p> <p></p> <p>Patrick A. Curtis, Ph.D., is Director of Research, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, DC, and formerly Director of Research, Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois, Chicago, IL</p> <p>Laura L. Schmidt, M.A., was formerly Research Associate, Children's Home and Aid Society of Illinois, Chicago, IL.</p> </aug> |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 8 StartPage: 453 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Cubans Type: general – SubjectFull: Dominicans Type: general – SubjectFull: Hispanic Americans Type: general – SubjectFull: Idioms Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Styles Type: general – SubjectFull: Language Variation Type: general – SubjectFull: Mexican Americans Type: general – SubjectFull: Puerto Ricans Type: general – SubjectFull: Spanish Type: general – SubjectFull: Translation Type: general – SubjectFull: Behavior Problem Checklist Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: A Spanish Translation of the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Curtis, Patrick A. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schmidt, Laura L. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 1993 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0009-4021 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 72 – Type: issue Value: 5 Titles: – TitleFull: Child Welfare Type: main |
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