Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cox, D. J.
Right arrow Articles by Borowitz, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cox, D. J.
Right arrow Articles by Borowitz, S.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Vol. 28, No. 6, 2003, pp. 375-382
© 2003 Society of Pediatric Psychology

Assessment of Behavioral Mechanisms Maintaining Encopresis: Virginia Encopresis-Constipation Apperception Test

Daniel J. Cox, PHD, Lee M. Ritterband, PHD, Warren Quillian, MD, Boris Kovatchev, PHD, James Morris, PHD, James Sutphen, MD, PHD and Stephen Borowitz, MD

University of Virginia Health System

All correspondence should be sent to Daniel J. Cox, Behavioral Medicine Center, P.O. Box 800223, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA 22908.

Objective To develop and test a scale for parent and child, evaluating theoretical and clinical parameters relevant to children with encopresis. Encopretic children were hypothesized to have more bowel-specific, but not more generic, psychological problems, as compared with nonsymptomatic control children. In addition, mothers were also believed to be more discerning than children. Methods The Virginia Encopresis-Constipation Apperception Test (VECAT) consists of 9 pairs of bowel-specific and 9 parallel generic drawings. Respondents selected the picture in each pair that best described them/their child. It was administered to encopretic children (N = 87), nonsymptomatic siblings (N = 27), and nonsymptomatic nonsiblings (N = 35). The mothers of all the participants also completed the VECAT. Encopretic children were retested 6 and 12 months posttreatment with Enhanced Toilet Training. Results The VECAT demonstrated good test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Encopretic children and their mothers reported more bowel-specific, but not more generic, problems. Bowel-specific scores improved significantly posttreatment only for those patients who demonstrated significant symptom improvement. Mothers were significantly more discerning than children. Conclusion The VECAT is a reliable, valid, discriminating, and sensitive test. Bowel-specific problems appear to best differentiate children with and without encopresis.

Key words: encopresis; constipation; bowel habits; tests; diagnosis; assessment.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.