Behavioral profiles of children with Williams syndrome from Spain and the United States: Cross-cultural similarities and differences

Débora Pérez-García, Carme Brun-Gasca, Luis A. Pérez-Jurado, Carolyn B. Mervis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To identify similarities and differences in the behavioral profile of children with Williams syndrome from Spain (n= 53) and the United States (n=145), we asked parents of 6- to 14-year-olds with Williams syndrome to complete the Child Behavior Checklist 6-18. The distribution of raw scores was significantly higher for the Spanish sample than the American sample for all of the higher-order factors and half of both the empirically based and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-oriented scales. In contrast, analyses based on country-specific T-scores indicated that the distribution for the Spanish sample was significantly higher than for the American sample only on the Social Problems scale. No gender differences were found. Genetic and cultural influences on children's behavior and cultural influences on parental ratings of behavior are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)156-172
Number of pages17
JournalAmerican Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Volume122
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished or Issued - Mar 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Behavior
  • Child Behavior Checklist
  • Cross-cultural
  • Intellectual disability
  • Williams syndrome
  • Williams-beuren syndrome

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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