Using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment to Identify Behavioral Risk and Protective Factors Within a Head Start Population

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of behavioral risk and protective factors among at-risk preschoolers. Parent-reported data ( N = 2,550) from the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA) indicated that Head Start preschoolers had significantly more behavior concerns and fewer protective factors than would be expected based on standardization sample data. Multiple analyses of variance revealed that boys were consistently reported to have more behavior concerns and fewer protective factors than girls. A comparison of 2 years of DECA data revealed that two separate cohorts of children enrolled in Head Start did not differ significantly with respect to the prevalence of behavior concerns. However, children in the second cohort had significantly more parent-reported protective factors than children in the first cohort of the study. This is the first study to report on the use of the DECA within a Head Start population. Implications for the use of this measure within early childhood settings are provided.