Comparison of Mother and Father Report on the Personality Inventory for Children in a Non Referred Canadian Sample

Abstract

Examined interparental agreement for the four broadband factor scales, three validity scales, one general screening scale, and twelve substantive scales of the Personality Inventory for Children-Revised (PIC-R; Lachar, 1982). Cohabitating mothers and fathers of 47 non-referred children and adolescents in Ontario and Newfoundland independently completed the PIC-R. The 24 male and 23 female children ranged in age from 9 to 16. Results indicated high cross-informant consistency with respect to correlations, means comparisons, and absolute difference scores. Parental agreement was similar whether rating male or female children. The pattern of scores obtained also suggests a cultural drift toward increased levels of pathology, as well as greater heterogeneity of reports obtained from modern fathers. Implications for assessment practices and future research are discussed.