INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 10 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 09:00 am - 10:15 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental \| Congenital Conditions Final Abstract #13 Preschool Type as a Moderator of the Relation Between IQ and Parent-Teacher Reporting Discrepancy Sarah Boland, Washington State University, Pullman, United States Tammy Barry, Washington State University, Pullman, United States Ferne Pinard, Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents, Boston, United States Category: Other Keyword 1: intellectual functioning Keyword 2: anxiety Keyword 3: diversity Objective: There are several studies that have found IQ to be significantly related to parent-child discrepancy on anxiety symptoms, where higher youth IQ tends to predict less discrepancy (Blakely-Smith et al., 2012; Kaat & Lecavalier, 2015; Ooi et al., 2016). Conversely, some studies have found no relation between IQ (FSIQ and/or verbal IQ) and parent-child discrepancy on ratings of anxiety-related symptoms (e.g., Burrows et al., 2018; Kalvin et al., 2019). When evaluating parent-teacher reporting discrepancy on the BASC-2, McDonald et al. (2016) similarly found no relation between IQ and discrepancy. The present study aims to better understand the relation between child intellectual abilities and parent-teacher reporting discrepancy of child anxiety symptoms by examining additional factors (e.g., preschool environment) to better understand the nature of the relation. Participants and Methods: A total of 101 caregiver-child-teacher triads were included in the current study. Fifty triads were from Head Start preschools and 51 triads were from non-Head Start preschools. Caregivers and teachers completed questionnaires measuring child anxiety symptoms (BASC-2-PRS and BASC-2-TRS) and children were administered the WJ-III Cog. The Brief Intellectual Ability (BIA) score was used as an estimate of intelligence. To obtain an anxiety discrepancy score, teacher scores were subtracted from parent scores after z-scoring the raw scores and summing them. Results: There was a significant negative correlation between BIA scores and preschool-type, r = -.46, p < .001, indicating children in the non-Head Start programs (coded 0) had, on average, higher BIA scores than children in Head Start (coded 1). A moderated multiple regression analysis with BIA score (predictor) and preschool-type (moderator) predicting parent-teacher reporting discrepancy of child anxiety symptoms (criterion) demonstrated that neither the BIA main effect nor the preschool-type main effect were significant (p = .48 and p = .20, respectively). Though the main effects were not significant, the interaction between BIA and preschool type in the final model significantly predicted unique variance in the reporting discrepancy of anxiety symptoms, b = -0.03, SE = 0.3, [95% CI (-0.13, -0.02)], p = .01. For the non-Head Start group, discrepancy trended upward (i.e., parents reporting more symptoms than teachers) as BIA scores increased, whereas for the Head Start group, discrepancy trended downward (i.e., teachers reporting more symptoms than parents) as BIA scores increased. Conclusions: Findings suggest the mixed literature on the relation between IQ and reporting discrepancy is likely warranted, considering the present study’s lack of significant main effects, but significant interaction. It is possible because of the nature of Head Start and its mission, teachers tend to be more sensitive to academically successful preschoolers’ internalizing symptoms within the academic context in comparison to parents who may face financial or other environmental stressors. What remains unclear is if there are actual differences in the child’s anxiety across contexts or if the informants’ perceptions of the child’s symptoms differ. There are many unanswered questions about the nuances of how youth IQ may relate to reporting discrepancy of anxiety among youth but remains a promising avenue for further exploration.

Poster

02/17/2024
09:00 am - 10:15 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions

Final Abstract #13

Preschool Type as a Moderator of the Relation Between IQ and Parent-Teacher Reporting Discrepancy

Sarah Boland, Washington State University, Pullman, United States
Tammy Barry, Washington State University, Pullman, United States
Ferne Pinard, Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents, Boston, United States

Category: Other

Keyword 1: intellectual functioning
Keyword 2: anxiety
Keyword 3: diversity

Objective:

There are several studies that have found IQ to be significantly related to parent-child discrepancy on anxiety symptoms, where higher youth IQ tends to predict less discrepancy (Blakely-Smith et al., 2012; Kaat & Lecavalier, 2015; Ooi et al., 2016). Conversely, some studies have found no relation between IQ (FSIQ and/or verbal IQ) and parent-child discrepancy on ratings of anxiety-related symptoms (e.g., Burrows et al., 2018; Kalvin et al., 2019). When evaluating parent-teacher reporting discrepancy on the BASC-2, McDonald et al. (2016) similarly found no relation between IQ and discrepancy. The present study aims to better understand the relation between child intellectual abilities and parent-teacher reporting discrepancy of child anxiety symptoms by examining additional factors (e.g., preschool environment) to better understand the nature of the relation.

Participants and Methods:

A total of 101 caregiver-child-teacher triads were included in the current study. Fifty triads were from Head Start preschools and 51 triads were from non-Head Start preschools. Caregivers and teachers completed questionnaires measuring child anxiety symptoms (BASC-2-PRS and BASC-2-TRS) and children were administered the WJ-III Cog. The Brief Intellectual Ability (BIA) score was used as an estimate of intelligence. To obtain an anxiety discrepancy score, teacher scores were subtracted from parent scores after z-scoring the raw scores and summing them.

Results:

There was a significant negative correlation between BIA scores and preschool-type, r = -.46, p < .001, indicating children in the non-Head Start programs (coded 0) had, on average, higher BIA scores than children in Head Start (coded 1). A moderated multiple regression analysis with BIA score (predictor) and preschool-type (moderator) predicting parent-teacher reporting discrepancy of child anxiety symptoms (criterion) demonstrated that neither the BIA main effect nor the preschool-type main effect were significant (p = .48 and p = .20, respectively). Though the main effects were not significant, the interaction between BIA and preschool type in the final model significantly predicted unique variance in the reporting discrepancy of anxiety symptoms, b = -0.03, SE = 0.3, [95% CI (-0.13, -0.02)], p = .01. For the non-Head Start group, discrepancy trended upward (i.e., parents reporting more symptoms than teachers) as BIA scores increased, whereas for the Head Start group, discrepancy trended downward (i.e., teachers reporting more symptoms than parents) as BIA scores increased.

Conclusions:

Findings suggest the mixed literature on the relation between IQ and reporting discrepancy is likely warranted, considering the present study’s lack of significant main effects, but significant interaction. It is possible because of the nature of Head Start and its mission, teachers tend to be more sensitive to academically successful preschoolers’ internalizing symptoms within the academic context in comparison to parents who may face financial or other environmental stressors. What remains unclear is if there are actual differences in the child’s anxiety across contexts or if the informants’ perceptions of the child’s symptoms differ. There are many unanswered questions about the nuances of how youth IQ may relate to reporting discrepancy of anxiety among youth but remains a promising avenue for further exploration. 