Andrews V C, Garrison C Z, Jackson K L, Addy C L, McKeown R E
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993 Jul;32(4):731-8. doi: 10.1097/00004583-199307000-00005.
To determine rates and correlates of mother-adolescent agreement on the symptoms and diagnoses of depression and conduct disorders.
The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia in School Age Children was administered to a community sample of 460 adolescents and their mothers. Race, gender, family adaptability and cohesion, and living arrangement were evaluated as predictors of agreement.
Mother-adolescent agreement was low (kappa < 0.40) for all diagnoses and symptoms with these exceptions: feeling tired (kappa = 0.40), inattention (kappa = 0.50), vandalism (kappa = 0.50), and chronic violation of rules (kappa = 0.72). Cohesion and adaptability were associated with mother-adolescent agreement on the symptoms and diagnosis of depression. This association was not demonstrated as consistently for agreement on the symptoms and diagnosis of conduct disorders.
Study findings underscore the necessity of collecting data from both a parent and the adolescent when assessing an adolescent's psychological status.
