In the eye of the beholder? Parental ratings of externalizing and internalizing symptoms.

Variations in ratings of externalizing and internalizing symptoms may contain a trait (i.e., shared view) component when behavioral symptoms that generalize across context are perceived and an individual view component when they are misperceived of when each informant has access to different symptoms. Using a LISREL model, we estimated that the trait and the important-specific, individual view components in parental ratings of externalizing and internalizing symptoms of adolescent siblings. This model demonstrated that mothers' and fathers' ratings contained a substantial individual view component (from 21% to 50% of total rating variance, depending on rater and trait). Except for fathers' ratings of internalizing symptoms (13%), parental ratings also contained a substantial trait component (42% to 58%). Mother's, fathers', and child's ratings may be averaged to estimate a trait of externalizing. To estimate an internalizing trait, it may be best to combine just the mother's rating with the child's self-rating.