A Comparison of Cross-Informant Behavior Ratings in School-Based Diagnosis

Abstract

Low levels of agreement between adolescents and their parents or teachers on various cross-informant behavior rating scales have been reported in the literature. It is unclear whether one source of this inconsistency is adolescents’ tendency to underreport or overreport their behavioral problems relative to adult informants. The Child Behavior Checklist and its related forms were completed for a group of boys referred for school-based assessments due to academic and/or behavioral problems. Comparisons between the ratings of adolescents and their parents and teachers revealed little correspondence among informants, especially between adolescents and either their parents or teachers. Adolescents consistently under-reported behavioral problems relative to parents and teachers regardless of sub-sequent diagnosis (i.e., behavioral disorder, learning disability, or not diagnosed). Implications of this lack of agreement between adolescents’ self-reports and adult ratings in the school-based diagnosis of behavioral disorders are discussed.

Informant Discrepancies in the Assessment of Childhood Psychopathology: A Critical Review, Theoretical Framework, and Recommendations for Further Study.

“…For instance, a meta-analysis found that mother-father agreement was significantly higher than either parent-child or teacher-child agreement (Achenbach et al, 1987). Moreover, studies examining the discrepancies among informants' ratings in samples of clinicreferred children, or children referred for school-based programs, have found that the ratings of parents and teachers evidence higher levels of agreement than comparisons of ratings between parents and children, and teachers and children (e.g., Lee, Elliot, & Barbour, 1994;Loeber et al, 1989Loeber et al, , 1991. However, no statistical comparisons among pairs of informants were made in these studies.…”

The Transition Status of Youth Departing Residential Care

“…The authors suggest this finding may be due to the limited instructional time spent on teaching selfawareness, one of the seven skills commonly associated with self-determination. While finding a difference in youth and adults perspectives is not unusual (e.g., Carter et al 2009;Hoza et al 2004;Kolko and Kazdin 1993;Lee et al 1994), it is often difficult to ascertain which group (e.g., teachers, caregivers, or youth) provides a more accurate measure of a youth's competence.…”

Agreement among teachers' behavior ratings of adolescents with a childhood history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

“…It appears that most investigators of child behavior problems, at least in empirical studies, have chosen procedures consistent with the former recommendation. Recent studies making use of teacher behavior ratings of adolescents typically report that only one teacher's rating was used (e.g., Greenbaum, Dedrick, Prange, & Friedman, 1994;Lee, Elliott, & Barbour, 1994;Phares, Compas, & Howell, 1989), and there is usually little information about which teacher was chosen for this purpose. A careful examination of the Achenbach et al (1987) …”