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Development and Validation of a Multi-informant Measure of Social Behaviors for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities

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Abstract

Youth with intellectual disability (ID) are at an increased risk of displaying fewer prosocial behaviors and more numerous aggressive behaviors in various environments. This study proposes a new multi-informant (youth, teachers, and parents) measure of social behaviors for youth with ID. The sample includes 348 youth with mild (51.41%) and moderate (48.59%) levels of ID, aged 11–22 years old (M = 15.73, SD = 2.14; including 138 females), enrolled in secondary schools in Canada (French-speaking; N = 116; 33.33%) and Australia (English-speaking; N = 232; 66.67%). Measures were completed by the participants, their teachers, and their parents. Results support the reliability, factor validity, discriminant validity (in relation to sex, ID level, and country), concurrent validity (with measures of victimization, depression, hyperactivity-inattention), and one-year test–retest stability of the measure. Youth, teachers, and parents all provided a complementary perspective on youth social behaviors, consistent with youth adjusting their behaviors to the various environments in which they share social interactions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the Australian Research Council (DP140101559) and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (430-2012-0091, 435-2014-0909). In the preparation of this paper, the first author was also supported by funding from the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR), and the second author by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2018-0368).

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  1. The order of appearance of the first and second authors (Elizabeth Olivier and AlexandreJ.S. Morin) was determined at random: Both should be considered first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département de Psychopédagogie et d’andragogie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    Elizabeth Olivier

  2. Substantive-Methodological Synergy Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada

    Alexandre J. S. Morin, Neha Verma & Céleste Dubé

  3. School of Education, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia

    Danielle Tracey

  4. Département de Psychoéducation et de Psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérome, Canada

    Cynthia Gagnon

  5. Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia

    Rhonda G. Craven

  6. Cyberpsychology Laboratory and Département de Psychoéducation et de Psychologie, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Saint-Jérome, Canada

    Christophe Maïano

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  1. Elizabeth Olivier
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Correspondence to Alexandre J. S. Morin.

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The study was approved by the research ethics committees of the Western Sydney University, Australian Catholic University and Université du Québec en Outaouais, and were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all parents, children, and teachers involved in this study.

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Olivier, E., Morin, A.J.S., Tracey, D. et al. Development and Validation of a Multi-informant Measure of Social Behaviors for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 49, 1649–1667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-021-00846-5

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