Objective:
To evaluate the validity of the Behavioral Health Checklist (BHCL) strength-based factor scores and the extent to which this factor has a buffering effect on the relationship between behavioral health symptom severity and children’s social problems.
Method:
The parents of 1,392 children aged 4 to 12 completed the BHCL and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) during sick and well-child visits to urban and suburban primary care practices affiliated with a large children’s hospital.
Results:
Findings support a single, strength-based factor on the BHCL, and the structure was largely invariant across race, sex, and socioeconomic status. Increased psychopathology symptoms (internalizing, externalizing, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and lower levels of strengths predicted increased social problems (p