dimensions of mental health in adolescent boys

4
DIMENSIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN ADOLESCENT BOYS* RICHARD BLOOM Ru@ers University INTRODUCTION The period of adolescence represents an important transition point involving dramatic physical and psychological changes. As such, adolescence would seem a relevant age period in which to evaluate adjustmental patterns. However, the investigator is faced with the difficult problem of choosing evaluative criteria from an exceedingly diverse set of perspectives ranging from self esteem to psychosomatic complaints. In commenting on the confusing diversity, some writers". *- have suggested that various criteria are equally valid and may indeed be required for a comprehensive assessment of mental health status. Accordingly, a plausible strategy to describe adjustment might involve multiple criteria in which a number of differ- ent indices of adjustment are included in the assessment. In this study, a multiple criteria approach was used in the analysis of self reports of adolescents concerning their mental health states. Factor analytic tech- niques were applied to identify communalities in responses to a diverse set of ques- tions dealing with mental health states. The emergent factor structure might thus be indicative of patterns of adjustmental reactions common to most adolescents. METHOD Subjects. The sample consisted of 2,200 white and negro tenth-grade boys, living throughout the United States. The respondents were selected by a multi- stage probability sampling procedure which provided an essentially bias free repre- sentation of tenth grade boys in the United States. Procedures and Analysis. The data were collected as part of a longitudinal study of adolescent boys sponsored by U. S. Office of Education. One phase of this larger investigation involved responses to a comprehensive closed-end question- naire dealing with a wide range of motivational, attitudinal and affective states. From this questionnaire, 92 items intended on an a priori basis to assem adjust- mental states were tentatively included for data analysis. However, a question was excluded from further consideration if 45% of the responses piled up into one of its five alternative response categories. In the case of eight items with a yes-no format, the cut-off point was 55% piling up into one of the two categories. Using this cri- terion, 74 items were retained for the factor analysis. The 74 variables were intercorrelated using a missing data correlation pro- gram to adjust the data in those instances in which responses were 0mitted.l In all cases, the N for the correlation matrix approximated the sample size of 2,200 cases. The correlation matrix was then factor analyzed using the principal components solution with ones in the diagonal of the matrix. A normalized varimax rotation procedure(') with the Eel-Wrigley criterion was used in the data analysis. This procedure yields orthogonal factors which tend toward invariance. The IGel-Wrigley criterion requires a factor to have at least two high factor loadings, where a high loading is objectively determined on the basis of a variable's loadings across all factors. When the loadings diminish to the point where there are no longer two large values per factor, the rotation ceases. Applying this criterion to this study, eight factors were extracted and rotated from the matrix. *The investigator thanks Dr. Jerald Bachman of the University of Michigan without whose cooperation this study could not have been completed. 'Due to the 1 e number of variables used in the investigation, the correlation and factor mat- rices were not incl3ed in the stud results. Three tables listing the variables, correlation and factor matrices have been de sited wit[ the National Auxilliary Publications Service. Order document No. W. Remit in J a n c e $3.00 for photocopies or $1.00 for microfiche and make checks payable to NAPS.

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Page 1: Dimensions of mental health in adolescent boys

DIMENSIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH I N ADOLESCENT BOYS* RICHARD BLOOM Ru@ers University

INTRODUCTION The period of adolescence represents an important transition point involving

dramatic physical and psychological changes. As such, adolescence would seem a relevant age period in which to evaluate adjustmental patterns. However, the investigator is faced with the difficult problem of choosing evaluative criteria from an exceedingly diverse set of perspectives ranging from self esteem to psychosomatic complaints. In commenting on the confusing diversity, some writers". * - have suggested that various criteria are equally valid and may indeed be required for a comprehensive assessment of mental health status. Accordingly, a plausible strategy to describe adjustment might involve multiple criteria in which a number of differ- ent indices of adjustment are included in the assessment.

In this study, a multiple criteria approach was used in the analysis of self reports of adolescents concerning their mental health states. Factor analytic tech- niques were applied to identify communalities in responses to a diverse set of ques- tions dealing with mental health states. The emergent factor structure might thus be indicative of patterns of adjustmental reactions common to most adolescents.

METHOD Subjects. The sample consisted of 2,200 white and negro tenth-grade boys,

living throughout the United States. The respondents were selected by a multi- stage probability sampling procedure which provided an essentially bias free repre- sentation of tenth grade boys in the United States.

Procedures and Analysis. The data were collected as part of a longitudinal study of adolescent boys sponsored by U. S. Office of Education. One phase of this larger investigation involved responses to a comprehensive closed-end question- naire dealing with a wide range of motivational, attitudinal and affective states.

From this questionnaire, 92 items intended on an a priori basis to assem adjust- mental states were tentatively included for data analysis. However, a question was excluded from further consideration if 45% of the responses piled up into one of its five alternative response categories. In the case of eight items with a yes-no format, the cut-off point was 55% piling up into one of the two categories. Using this cri- terion, 74 items were retained for the factor analysis.

The 74 variables were intercorrelated using a missing data correlation pro- gram to adjust the data in those instances in which responses were 0mitted.l In all cases, the N for the correlation matrix approximated the sample size of 2,200 cases. The correlation matrix was then factor analyzed using the principal components solution with ones in the diagonal of the matrix.

A normalized varimax rotation procedure(') with the Eel-Wrigley criterion was used in the data analysis. This procedure yields orthogonal factors which tend toward invariance. The IGel-Wrigley criterion requires a factor to have at least two high factor loadings, where a high loading is objectively determined on the basis of a variable's loadings across all factors. When the loadings diminish to the point where there are no longer two large values per factor, the rotation ceases. Applying this criterion to this study, eight factors were extracted and rotated from the matrix.

*The investigator thanks Dr. Jerald Bachman of the University of Michigan without whose cooperation this study could not have been completed.

'Due to the 1 e number of variables used in the investigation, the correlation and factor mat- rices were not incl3ed in the stud results. Three tables listing the variables, correlation and factor matrices have been de sited wit[ the National Auxilliary Publications Service. Order document No. W. Remit in J a n c e $3.00 for photocopies or $1.00 for microfiche and make checks payable to NAPS.

Page 2: Dimensions of mental health in adolescent boys

36 RICHARD BLOOM

RESULTS In general, the rotation procedure yielded a satisfactory simple structure in

which the eight factors accounted for 45% of the total variance. In presenting these results, major emphasis will be placed on factor loadings of .30 or higher. Table 1 gives examples of loadings associated with each of the eight rotated factors.

TABLE 1. EXAMPLES OF FACTOR LOADINGS

Variables Loadings

Factor I 50. Feelsad 28. Feelworried 9. Feel jittery

(Twenty other variables have loadings above .30)

20. Satisfied with life 5. Feellikesmiling

43. Feelloved (Six other variables have loadings above .30)

71. Hands tremble 68. Heartbeatin hard 65. Troubled by feadaches (Eight other vanables have loadings above .30)

58. So nervous I forget facts on an exam 55. Feel like freezing on an I& exam 52. Feel panick when taking an exam (Six other vahbyes have loadings above .30)

11. The life of the average man iri getting worse 7. No one cares what happens to you

42. It’s not fair to bring a child into this world (One other variable has a loading above .30)

Factor I1

Factor I11

Factor I V

Factor V

Factor VI 1. Feel like sweeng

41. I feel hke pickm a fight with my parents 21. I feel like a powier keg (Three other variables have loadings above .30)

46. When I do wron my conscience punishes me 45. I do thin that f fee l guilty about aftepvards 24. When m f e d at mght I wor.ry about thlngs (Seven other vanables have lodngs above .30)

3. Feel that I can’t do anythin right 8. Feel I do not have much to %e proud of

!27. Feel that nobody wants me (Six other variables have loadings above .30)

Factor VII

Factor VIII

.67

.62

.36

.59

.47

.46

.74

.66

.62

.68 .a

.61

.59

.55

.46

.64

.49

.31

.53

.42

.48

.58

.49

.33

Factor I was associated with items concerned with negative affective states including feelings of depression, general anxiety, irritability, and tension. Because this dimension encompassed a broad range of items, it might be characterized a general or global pattern of distress.

Whereas Factor I focused on negative aspects of adjustment, the central feature of Factor I1 was the clustering of items involving favorable evaluative re- actions. This included items whose content dealt with positive self evaluations and satisfaction with life.

Page 3: Dimensions of mental health in adolescent boys

DIMENSIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN ADOLESCENT BOY8 37

The items which loaded substantially on Factor I11 were concerned with physical correlates of anxiety and tension. Thie included admitting to such physical symptoms as rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, and excessive hand sweating. In addition, there were two variables which, while below the accepted criterion of factor loading size, were of suflicient magnitude to deserve attention. These vari- ables dealt with tension states of the individuals (being nervous or jittery), lending support to the interpretation that the symptoms clustering in Factor I11 probably repreaent physical reactions to underlying emotional states.

The items showing substantial association on Factor IV dealt with anxiety related to test taking experiences in the school. Items concerned with general anxiety states show only small loadings on this dimension. This suggests that anxiety as the defining feature of this dimension has a specific focus, the classroom, and is therefore not necessarily associated with a transitional or global anxiety.

The items clustering on Factor V focus on a breakdown of the sense of attach- ment toward society and social relationships as evidenced by feelings of isolation and being unwanted and unloved by others.

The variables on Factor VI focused on feeling tendencies or impulses to exprees aggression as distinct from overt expressions of aggregsion. Based on a content examination of the variables, such impulses appear to be generalized involving such diverse targets of potential aggression as the parent and teacher.

The organization of Factor VII has some correspondence to personality theory, especially in relation to a pychodynamic framework. Specifically, as interpreted by Sears(6), anxiety and guilt are hypothesized aa reaction by the individual toward unacceptable impulses (e.g., hostile feelings). It is thus of some theoretical interest that items dealing with general anxiety, guilt, and to a lesser extent aggressive impulses were associatively linked to this factor.

Factor VIII was organized as essentially a reverse image of Factor 11. In the former factor, the clustering of items focused on positive evaluations of self as well as general satisfaction with life. In Factor VIII, however, the major organizational feature dealt with negative self evaluations in association with items reflecting general dissatisfaction and unhappiness with one’s l i e status.

DISCUSSION The results of the factor analysis suggest that the respondents showed con-

siderable differentiation as to what areas of personal distress were salient to them, perhaps reflecting the kinds of dimensions identified in this study. However, there may be some adolescenta, or for that matter adulte, who respond to queetiona on personal distress in a generalized fashion, i.e., admitting distress in one area implies admitting to it in another. Perhaps Factor I, in which a number of affective states are associated together, typifies that segment of the adolescent population who view their adjustment in this global fashion.

That a number of fairly distinctive factors emerged suggests the difficulty of identifying anv single factor or combination of factors as an optimal index of adolescent adjustment. Rather than attempt to formulate a comprehensive index of adjustment, it might be more appropriate to focus on a particular factor as the relevant predictor in a specific situation. For example, predictions associated with psychiatric screening might involve the content of Factor I1 in which self reports of physical symptoms cluster together.

Certain parallel results may be noted between the present study and an earlier related study by Veroff and Gurin(*) using adult respondents. The factor similar- ities which emerged in both studies dealt with content which clustered in the areas of self evaluations, felt emotional distress, and attitudinal reactions (both positive and negative) toward one’s life circumstances. Such communalities between separate factor analyses perhaps indicate important dimensions of subjective distress that transcend specific cultural and social subgroups. It might follow that a logieal next research step would involve comparisons of a number of factor analysts of

Page 4: Dimensions of mental health in adolescent boys

38 RICHARD BLOOM

different social groups-e.g., race, social class, age-as a means of more precisely pinpointing both possible communalities and differences in adjustmental patterns that exist for varying population segments.

SUMMARY A factor analysis was performed on the responses of a random sample of 2200

adolescent boys to a series of 74 questions dealing with personal distress and ad- justment. Eight factors were extracted and identified as follows: Negative affective states; positive self evaluation; physical correlates of anxiety; test anxiety; aliena- tion from society; aggressive impulses; guilt and general anxiety; and negative self evaluations.

REFERENCES 1. FIEDLER, F. E., DODGE, J. S., JONES, It. E. and HUTCHINS, E. B. Interrelations among measures of personality adjustment in nonclinical populations. J . ahnm. soc. Ps chol., 1958,66, 345-351.

2. CURIN, S., VEROFF, J. and FELD, S. Americans View Their Menful f f d . New York: Basic Books, 1960.

3.. JAHODA, M. Current Concepts in Mental H d . New York: Basic Books, 1958. 4. KAISER, H. F. The Varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychology, 1958,

5. SEARS, R., MACCOBY, E. and LEVIN, H. Pauents of Child Rearing. Evanston, Ill.: Row-Peter-

6. Scwrr, W. A. A research definition of mental health and mental illness. Psydrol. Bull., 1958,66,

,f?S, 187-200.

eon, 1957.

67-87.

PSYCHIATRIC SYMPTOMS OBSERVED I N NORMAL AND DISTURBED CHILDREN*

AUDREYSHECHTMAN

De Paul Universily

PROBLEM It has been pointed out that “normal” controls are a rarity in the few studies

( 8 . 4 ) of the symptoms commonly associated with childhood behavior disorders. This lack represents a real defect in experimental design and frequently results in the attribution of greater significance to individual pathological behaviors than is warranted, especially in view of the selective nature of the populations generally investigated.

Some deterrents to the remediation of this flaw are the universally recognized psychiatric dilemma of the definition of normal behavior and the problem of securing and maintaining a population of normal Ss. Whatever the methodological difficulties encountered, the fact remains that until there is more accurate information available about which behaviors differentiate disturbed from mentally healthy children, there is little hope of establishing efficient screening for the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of problem behavior.

Using Achenbach’s(’) 91 item checklist of behaviors frequently associated with psychiatric disorders in the child, this study compares those symptoms found in a group of mental health clinic patients on admission with those observed in a matched group of normal controls to determine whwh characteristics might differentiate the two.

METHOD Subjects. Ss included 62 Caucasian children (25 boys and 37 girls) treated as

outpatients in a mental health clinic setting and a comparable number of controls.

*This research was partially supported by the State of Illinois Mental Health Grant 1y 17-307.