NCJ Number
202610
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 42 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 1343-1350
Editor(s)
Mina K. Dulcan M.D.
Date Published
November 2003
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated whether disagreements in reporting child behavior problems between biological parents, foster parents, and teachers were related to depressive symptoms in the biological parent.
Abstract
Differences across informants in reporting problem behavior in children have been studied for some time with the establishment that differences across informants can be related to informant type. This study focused on the relationship between mothers’ depression and discrepancies in their reports compared to other informants, specifically overreporting by the depressed mothers. It examined four questions: (1) do biological parents differ from teachers and foster parents in their reports of internalizing behaviors for the same child and (2) can any differences in reporting by biological parents be explained by depressive symptoms? Participants consisted of 95 foster children between the ages of 5 and 16 during May 1990 through October 1991 and had been in placement for at least 5 months before the interviews were started in foster families. Child Behavior Checklists and Teacher’s Report Forms were completed by parents, foster parents, and teachers on each of the 95 children. Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, depressive symptoms in biological parents were assessed. Based on the data presented, it was reasonable to say that disagreement in reporting both internalizing and externalizing between biological parents and teachers and foster parents was shown and the disagreement was moderately related to biological parent depressive symptoms. Study limitations and implication are discussed. References