Normative and parametric analyses of school maladjustment

Abstract

Format and instructional revisions were made in the TRF, a previously reported school adjustment measure, to extend its diagnostic, prescriptive, and empirical utility. Factor analyses of school adjustment ratings on the revised CARS with a normative sample of "healthy" primary graders demonstrated that while the revisions maintained the scale's original three-factor structure, they increased specific item factor loadings and accounted scale variance. To extend the screening utility of the proposed measure, normative and parametric comparisons are reported describing adjustment ratings for sex, age, and city/country subgroups. Comparisons of children who are or are not referred to a secondary prevention program provide evidence of the CARS discriminative validity and screening potential.