Child-parent Agreement Research Articles

Factors Influencing Parent Reports on Quality of Life for Children with Asthma

Children and parents often differ in their perceptions of a complex disease such as asthma. This ancillary study of children with mild to moderate asthma that was conducted at four of the eight clinics in the Childhood Asthma Management Program had two aims: (1) to relate quality of life to asthma symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics, child psychosocial adjustment and family social support and (2) to relate agreement between child- and parent-reported quality of life to child age. For this study participants completed the Caregiver's Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (C-PAQLQ), Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and a battery of psychosocial health outcomes questionnaires at the 12-month follow-up. The average asthma symptom score from diary cards for the 2 weeks before the visit was also collected. Parent-reported family burden was the strongest correlate of C-PAQLQ scores. Although the average asthma symptom score was not associated with parent-reported quality of life, the study had low power to detect a relationship because of the few episodes of asthma reported during the assessment period. The correlation between child and parent reported quality of life improved with increasing age of the child, suggesting increased child-parent agreement about quality of life outcomes was associated with increasing age of the child. Family characteristics, such as degree of cohesion among family members, are not associated with quality of life ratings.

The revised version of the screen for child anxiety related emotional disorders (scared-r): Further evidence for its reliability and validity

The revised version of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED-R) is a self-report questionnaire that intends to measure symptoms of childhood anxiety disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). The current article presents three studies which examined in more detail the reliability and validity of the SCARED-R. Study 1 (N=101) demonstrated that the SCARED-R possesses satisfactory test-retest stability. Study 2 (N=71) shows that the child-parent agreement of the SCARED-R is rather low. Study 3 (N=88) provides support for the concurrent validity of the SCARED-R. More specifically, SCARED-R scores were correlated in a meaningful way with scores on the Children's Anxiety Scale, a questionnaire that also measures DSM-defined childhood anxiety symptoms.

Parent- and self-ratings of anxiety in children with mental retardation: Agreement levels and test-retest reliability

This study examined fears in children with and without developmental disabilities. Children assigned to classes designated as developmentally handicapped (D), integrated (or mainstreamed) (1), and regular (R) were assessed. In all, 82 children were tested and retested over a 2-week interval. Self ratings and parent ratings were obtained. Three instruments were used to assess specific fears, social anxiety, social competence, and behavior problems: the Fear Survey Schedule for Children - Revised, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Child Behavior Rating Form. Correlations between parent and child ratings were fair to good. Child-parent agreement was nonsignificantly higher for children without disabilities and for children with mild handicaps integrated into regular education programs than for children in classes designated as Developmentally Handicapped. Children's test- retest reliabilities were generally higher than those of parents. Children without disabilities showed significantly higher consistency over time than children with disabilities.

Diagnosing Childhood Depression. Who Should be Interviewed - Parent or Child?

The extent of the similarities and discrepancies in the reporting of depressive symptomatology by children and their mothers was examined. Child-parent agreement was not always impressive, particularly for more subjective symptoms. It is suggested that direct psychiatric assessment of children provides a more accurate picture of their mental state regardless of presenting disorder, but particularly where depression is suspected.