Emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents/young adults receiving treatment at a community‐based psychotherapy centre for young people: A preliminary study of the correspondence among adolescent/young adult and significant other reports

Abstract

The present study examined the correspondence among adolescent/young adult and parental figure, professional, peer and partner reports, in their rating of emotional and behavioural problems of 195 young people aged between 12 and 25 years who attended a community-based psychotherapy centre. Data from young people were obtained at intake by participants completing the Youth Self Report Form and from significant others by them completing the Significant Other version of the Teacher's Report Form. Professionals rated internalizing (emotional) problems lower than peers, partners or parental figures. Externalizing (disruptive) problems were rated lowest by professionals, highest by partners with parental figures and peers in between. Agreement for internalizing problems was highest between self and professionals and lowest for partners and peers; parental figures were in between these two extremes. For externalizing problems, agreement was highest between self and friends but very low for partners. Professionals' ratings of internalizing problems showed a strong association with clinicians' assessment of global functioning and there was a strong association between partner ratings of total problems and clinicians' ratings of global functioning. The study showed the value of using a wider range of informants for assessing emotional and behavioural problems presented by young people seeking treatment than used in the assessment of pre-adolescents.

Further Validation of the Parent Experience of Child Illness Scale

“…Approximately 65% of parents returned questionnaire measures at Time 1, and an additional 64% at Time 2-response rates that are comparable to other published studies using similar survey methods (G. Baruch, Fearon, & Gerber, 1999;Rosoff et al, 2005). Those who returned packets at Time 1 were somewhat older and better educated than those who did not-differences that are consistent with findings in our initial validation study of this measure (Bonner et al, 2006) and are characteristic of response to survey research in general (for a review, see Y.…”

Psychosocial Functioning in Parents of Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer

“…This return rate is consistent with other published studies using a survey method. 19,20 Demographic information of consenting participants who returned questionnaires versus those who did not was analyzed to identify any nonrandom differences between the groups. For parents of adult survivors, there were no significant demographic differences between those who returned questionnaires and those who did not in terms of parent or survivor age, parent sex, race, or time since diagnosis.…”

The Young People's Consultation Service: An Evaluation of a Consultation Model of Very Brief Psychotherapy

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