Abstract

This study was devised to use the Preschool Behaviour Checklist (PBCL), which was developed by McGuire and Richman (1988) in order to screen preschool children's emotional and behavioural problems, in the Korean context. The PBCL has been used in many countries. However, it is important to acknowledge the problem involved in transporting methods and instruments from one culture into another culture without ensuring their applicability. Therefore, in this study, the optimal cut-off score of the PBCL for the Korean preschool children was determined instead of McGuire and Richman's. The cut-off score of the PBCL for the Korean preschool children was 16. This was determined by two methods; kappa statistics and ROC analysis methods. These two methods yielded a consistent result. This cut-off score was different from that of McGuire and Richman's. The optimal cut-off scores can be determined by preferable and alternative criteria, which stresses the idea of the cut-off being 'optimal' in relation to other factors. Therefore they may differ from sample to sample in relation to culture. For Korean subjects, it was desirable to apply the Korean cut-off score. The prevalence rate of emotional and behavioural problems with the cut-off score of 16 was 10.6%, and this falls within the ranges of prevalence rates of previous studies, 5-30%. Emotional and behavioural problems are culturally determined in part and vary in relation to the cultural context where they appear. What is normal in a culture may be problematic in another culture, and vice versa. Thus, Korean children may show different types and prevalence rates of emotional and behavioural problems because of their own culture's customs and values.