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A Psychometric Evaluation of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire in a Non-Clinical Sample of Israeli Children and Adolescents

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Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of a Hebrew version of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ) in a non-clinical sample of Israeli children and adolescents. We produced a Hebrew translation of the BIQ and collected 227 responses to it from parents of children aged 4–15. Some respondents in the larger sample also completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire (n = 91) and the Conners’ Abbreviated Parent-Teacher (CONNERS) questionnaire (n = 39), in addition to the BIQ. Lastly, 21 children of BIQ respondents (aged 8–14) completed a self-report version of the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to assess how well the established six correlated factor model of the BIQ applied to the sample data. The Hebrew BIQ demonstrated good internal consistency (Chronbach’s α = .94, n = 227) and 3 month test–retest reliability, (r = .95, p < .001, n = 21). It also showed both convergent validity, as scores on the BIQ were correlated with the SCARED (r = .66, p < .01. n = 91), and discriminant validity, as BIQ scores were not correlated with the CONNERS (r = .24, n = 39). Finally, mother reports of BI were significantly correlated to child reports of BI via the BIQ (r = .60, p < .01, n = 21). Thus, through this preliminary study we demonstrated that the Hebrew version of the BIQ is an effective tool for screening for BI among Israeli children, making it a useful instrument for future research.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Nathan A. Fox from the University of Maryland for his valuable comments on the manuscript. We are also thankful to Dr. Idan Aderka from the University of Haifa for his assistance with statistical analysis.

Author Contributions

B.M.: designed and executed the study, wrote major parts of the manuscript, coordinated the analyses and writing of the manuscript. A.P.: collaborated with the design and execution of the study, and wrote several key sections. T.G.: planned and oversaw data collection for the study and was involved in data analyses. T.S.: supervised the designing and executing of the study, analyses, and editing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tomer Shechner.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The Experimental Research Ethics Committee at the University of Haifa (Israel) specifically approved this study.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Mernick, B., Pine, A., Gendler, T. et al. A Psychometric Evaluation of the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire in a Non-Clinical Sample of Israeli Children and Adolescents. J Child Fam Stud 27, 1794–1804 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1027-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1027-2

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