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Introduction: Behavioral inhibition is a temperamental factor that increases the risk of internalizing disorders. Therefore, the identification of highly inhibited children is of great importance. However, informant discrepancies make this process difficult. In a cluster analytic approach, we aimed to use both parent and teacher reports of behavioral inhibition in order to gain a more detailed picture about children's behavioral inhibition in different contexts and to characterize highly inhibited children. Methods: Parents and teachers of 318 preschool children completed a questionnaire, which included the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parents also reported their parenting behavior on the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Questionnaire (MAPS). A two-step cluster analysis was conducted on BIQ parent and teacher reports, and the resulting clusters were compared on the SDQ externalizing and internalizing subscales. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys to predict cluster membership based on the MAPS hostility, lax control and physical control subscales. Results: Four clusters were identified, labelled as medium-low (ML), low-elevated (LE), elevated-elevated (EE) and high-high (HH), based on the levels of BIQ parent and teacher reports, respectively. In the HH cluster, mean scores of the SDQ internalizing subscales as reported by parents and teachers were significantly higher, and in boys but not in girls, mean scores of the SDQ externalizing subscale as reported by teachers were lower than in the other clusters. High levels of hostility predicted group membership of HH compared to LE and EE in both genders. Furthermore, in boys, lax control and physical control were also found to be significant when comparing HH to EE and LE, respectively. Discussion: Our results suggest that the joint use of parent and teacher reports on behavioral inhibition may increase the ability to identify highly inhibited children at risk of developing internalizing disorders and add to our understanding of the underpinnings of children's inhibited behavior in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collateral reports on psychopathology improve clinical care and research. Previous research showed moderate agreement between adults’ self- and collateral reports. Factors associated with discrepancies in different age groups, especially the crucial period of emerging adulthood, are yet to be investigated. We examined mother-child agreement and factors associated with discrepancies in N = 256 mother-child dyads with emerging adult children (M = 22.3 years) who participated in a longitudinal prevention study (18-year follow-up). Children completed self-report measures on psychopathology (Adult Behavior Checklist, ASR), current psychological distress, and two individual items regarding the mother-child relationship and frequency of contact. Mothers reported on their children’s psychopathology (Adult Behavior Checklist, ABCL) and their own psychological distress. Children and mothers completed a half-structured clinical interview on mental disorders. Agreement between ASR and ABCL was moderate to high (r =.48 to.53). Both reports significantly correlated with children’s diagnoses based on the clinical interview (r =.37 to.58). When children reported higher levels of psychopathology, higher levels of current psychological distress were associated with larger mother-child discrepancies. When mothers reported higher levels of child psychopathology, higher levels of maternal psychological distress, lower relationship quality, and higher frequency of contact were associated with larger discrepancies. Mother-child agreement in emerging adulthood is comparable to agreement in adolescence and adulthood. Factors associated with discrepancies differ for higher maternal- vs. self-reported psychopathology. Maternal psychological distress is more relevant for informant discrepancies than maternal mental disorder diagnoses. Longitudinal studies are needed to enhance the understanding of informant discrepancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helicopter parenting is a distinctive, intrusive parenting approach characterized by high involvement, elements of control, and limited autonomy granted. It may impact adult children's engagement in partner‐controlling and partner‐controlled behaviors. However, little research has assessed the patterns of parent–child perception differences regarding helicopter parenting and their connections to these behaviors. This study aimed to identify profiles of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting within Chinese families and explore their associations with adult children's partner‐controlling and partner‐controlled behaviors. Matched data from fathers, mothers, and adult children in one hundred and ninety‐six intact families were included. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted, identifying four profiles: parents over child (13.78%), child moderately over mother and moderately under father (17.35%), no consistent disagreements (49.49%), and child over parents (19.39%). Children whose perceptions aligned with their parents reported fewer partner‐controlling and partner‐controlled behaviors, compared to those whose perceptions exceeded their parents'. Similarly, children whose perceptions were lower than their parents' also reported fewer partner‐controlled behaviors compared to those with higher perceptions. The findings provide evidence for understanding dynamic patterns of informant discrepancies regarding helicopter parenting in Chinese families and support the development of family‐based interventions to address partner‐controlling and partner‐controlled behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incongruent perceptions of parental emotional expressivity between parents and adolescents may signify relational challenges, potentially impacting adolescents' socioemotional adjustment. Direct evidence is still lacking and father-adolescent discrepancies are overlooked. This study employed a multi-informant design to investigate whether both mother-adolescent and father-adolescent discrepancies in perceptions of parental expressivity are related to adolescents' mental well-being, specifically focusing on loneliness and depression. Analyzing data from 681 families (mean age of adolescents = 15.5 years old, 51.2% girls, 40% only-children) in China revealed that adolescents tended to perceive paternal and maternal emotional expressivity more negatively than their parents, particularly fathers. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis showed significant links between parent-adolescent congruence and incongruence and adolescent loneliness. (In)Congruence between adolescents and mothers or fathers predicted later adolescent depression, mediated by adolescent loneliness and varied by the dimension of emotional expressivity. These findings provide insights into the roles of mothers' and fathers' emotional expressivity in shaping children's mental well-being during adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of discrepancies in parents' reports about children's psychological problems address younger children and psychological problems. The current contribution shifts the focus to adult children and to well-being. In adult intergenerational relationships, knowledge of children's well-being is more uncertain and there is more room for disagreements to arise, especially in the context of divorce. We analyzed Dutch multi-actor survey data, using a sample of triads of adult children, fathers, and mothers (N = 1,440). Two hypotheses were tested about the origins of discrepancies using structural equation models in which child well-being reports were included of parents and self-reports of children. The analyses supported the notion of relational specificity: when parents have a closer and more harmonious relationship with the child, they evaluate the child more positively than the other parent, after controlling for adult children's self-reports of well-being. Qualified support was obtained for the depression-distortion hypothesis, with mothers who have higher well-being themselves being more positive about the child. Discrepancies were larger among separated parents than among married parents and parent-stepparent combinations. The conclusion is that parents do not always have similar views of adult children's well-being and that disagreements are systematic, with bias stemming from the informant and the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents frequently experience social anxiety, with parents often serving as the primary source of clinical referral. Yet, adolescents' needs for services often revolve around social anxiety that manifests when interacting with unfamiliar peers. Emerging work indicates that parents' reports about adolescent social anxiety fail to predict adolescents' self-reported experiences in these unfamiliar peer interactions. Detecting modifiable factors in the family environment may facilitate accurate detection of social environments that contribute to adolescents' anxiety-related needs, and thus inform the goals of anxiety-related services. Low levels of one such family factor—parental monitoring (i.e., parental efforts to track adolescents' whereabouts and activities)—robustly pose risk for adolescent maladjustment across various domains. Further, emerging work highlights the value of understanding patterns of discrepancies between parents' and adolescents' reports about parental monitoring. In this study, 134 adolescents and their parents completed parallel reports on a widely used survey measure of parental monitoring. Adolescents also participated in a controlled laboratory task (i.e., Unfamiliar Peer Paradigm) that simulates how adolescents interact with same-age, unfamiliar peers. Using recommended regression-based procedures for testing discrepancy hypotheses (i.e., polynomial regression and response surface analyses), we found that the interaction between low levels of either adolescent- or parent-reported parental monitoring (i.e., relative to each other) predicted increased adolescent social anxiety, based on trained independent observers' ratings of adolescents' behavior within the Unfamiliar Peer Paradigm. These findings have important implications for delivering mental health services for adolescent social anxiety, and accurately interpreting discrepancies between parents' and adolescents' reports about parental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionBehavioral inhibition is a temperamental factor that increases the risk of internalizing disorders. Therefore, the identification of highly inhibited children is of great importance. However, informant discrepancies make this process difficult. In a cluster analytic approach, we aimed to use both parent and teacher reports of behavioral inhibition in order to gain a more detailed picture about children’s behavioral inhibition in different contexts and to characterize highly inhibited children.MethodsParents and teachers of 318 preschool children completed a questionnaire, which included the Behavioral Inhibition Questionnaire (BIQ) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Parents also reported their parenting behavior on the Multidimensional Assessment of Parenting Questionnaire (MAPS). A two-step cluster analysis was conducted on BIQ parent and teacher reports, and the resulting clusters were compared on the SDQ externalizing and internalizing subscales. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys to predict cluster membership based on the MAPS hostility, lax control and physical control subscales.ResultsFour clusters were identified, labelled as medium-low (ML), low-elevated (LE), elevated-elevated (EE) and high-high (HH), based on the levels of BIQ parent and teacher reports, respectively. In the HH cluster, mean scores of the SDQ internalizing subscales as reported by parents and teachers were significantly higher, and in boys but not in girls, mean scores of the SDQ externalizing subscale as reported by teachers were lower than in the other clusters. High levels of hostility predicted group membership of HH compared to LE and EE in both genders. Furthermore, in boys, lax control and physical control were also found to be significant when comparing HH to EE and LE, respectively.DiscussionOur results suggest that the joint use of parent and teacher reports on behavioral inhibition may increase the ability to identify highly inhibited children at risk of developing internalizing disorders and add to our understanding of the underpinnings of children’s inhibited behavior in different contexts.

Background: Internationally adopted children who suffered early institutionalization are at risk of a late onset of internalizing problems in adolescence. Both pre-adoption, adversity-related, and post-adoption factors predict variability in internalizing problems in this population. Previous studies have suggested different patterns of parentadolescent informant discrepancies in adoptive dyads. Method: We analyzed internalizing problems among 66 adolescents internationally adopted from Russia to Spanish families using both the parent- and self-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and comparing them with a low-risk, community group (n = 30). We assessed pre-adoption and post-adoption factors and evaluated cross-informant discrepancies. Results: Internationally adopted adolescents exhibited more internalizing problems by parent-report than community adolescents, but there were no differences by self-report. Adopted youth showed no discrepancies between parent and self-report, whereas community adolescents reported more internalizing symptoms than their parents. Pre-adoption adversity-related factors predicted parent-reported internalizing problems, while post-adoption factors predicted self-reported internalizing problems. Conclusions: Parent-adolescent informant discrepancies in adopted adolescents from Eastern Europe for internalizing symptoms were lower than in community adolescents. Both adversity-related factors and the lived experience of adoption may influence the development of internalizing symptoms in internationally adopted adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the rate of death by suicide in youth ages 6 to 12 rises, it is imperative to better understand informant discrepancies when screening for suicidality. Accordingly, this study investigated associations among youth-, caregiver-, and clinician-reports of youth's suicidality and their associations with youth- and caregiver-reports of youth's depressive symptoms. Participants were 161 6- to 12-year-old youth presenting for outpatient psychological services at a Midwest training clinic between 2014 and 2019. More than 1 in 4 youth had at least one informant report some suicidal concerns. Results indicated that all informants' reports of suicidality were correlated with one another, with youth- and clinician-report being most strongly linked and caregiver- and clinician-report having the weakest correlation. Clinician- and youth-reports of suicidality were associated with youth-report, (but not caregiver-report) of depressive symptoms. Caregiver-report of suicidality was not associated with youth- or caregiver-report of depressive symptoms. When youth-report of depressive symptoms was regressed on sex, age, and youth-, caregiver-, and clinician-reports of suicidality, there was a trend that youth-report of suicidality was positively associated with youth-report of depressive symptoms. No informant's report of suicidality was uniquely associated with caregiver-report of depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that youth- and clinician-reports at intake are more strongly linked with one another than with caregiver-reports. Further, youth-reports on suicidality screening tools are more strongly associated with depressive symptoms than caregiver-report, suggesting that caregiver-reports are insufficient to assess concerns of suicidality at intake among school age youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood aggression is a ubiquitous and developmentally normal behavior; however, different report sources (e.g., child self-report vs. teacher) often yield markedly different interpretations. The current study examined how typical demographic and cognitive factors that have been previously found to explain child behavior (e.g., SES, inhibitory control) differentially explain child aggression and prosociality as a function of the informant. Preschool-age children (N = 121) completed several cognitive tasks (PPVT, Theory of Mind battery, Day/Night Stroop, moral judgment) as well as a dual-puppet self-report behavior interview. Parents reported demographics. Teachers completed the Preschool Proactive and Reactive Aggression-Teacher Report. As expected, teachers' and children's reports differed considerably and corresponded with different aspects of child development—teachers' reports of aggression were largely explained by demographic variables (i.e., fathers' education level), whereas children's self-reports of aggression were explained by cognitive maturation (i.e., PPVT and moral understanding). These findings support the continued position that studies of early childhood psychopathology should employ multiple mixed methods of reporting, and considers the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most analyses of children's well-being in separated families are based on reports provided by parents. Thus, the question arises whether discrepancies between parents' proxy reports and children's self-reports exist and whether they impact explanatory models of children's well-being. Since a family's physical custody arrangement could systematically affect parents' ratings of their children's mental health, and this association has not been examined before, this study investigates parent-child discrepancies in reporting children's mental health problems in separated families with different physical custody arrangements. Drawing on data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), multinomial logistic regression and multilevel mixed-effects models were estimated for 786 parent-child dyads nested in 622 families with children between the ages of 9 and 17. To measure children's mental health, we used two subscales (emotional and conduct problems) of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The findings suggested that the relationship between physical custody arrangements and children's mental health differs depending on whether the children's or the parents' data are used. Physical custody arrangements and informant discrepancies were not associated. Parents' mental health and the quality of parent-child relationships appear more relevant in understanding informant discrepancies than physical custody arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type and frequency of children's exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) are considered as key variables in understanding children's heightened risk of externalizing symptoms. Notably, children's exposure to IPV has been primarily measured using mothers' reports of their own victimization. However, mothers and children might differently perceive children's exposure to physical IPV. To date, no research has investigated multi-rater reporting discrepancies in child's exposure to physical IPV and whether such discrepancies would be linked to externalizing symptoms. This study aimed to identify patterns of mother–child discrepancies in child's exposure to physical IPV and examine whether those patterns would be associated with children's externalizing symptoms. Participants were mothers who have experienced police-reported male-perpetrated IPV and their children (n = 153; 4–10 years). Latent profile analysis identified three profiles of mother–child discrepancies: a concordant group reporting high IPV exposure; a discordant group with mothers and children reporting high and low child's IPV exposure, respectively; a second discordant group with mothers and children reporting low and moderate IPV exposure, respectively. Profiles of mother–child discrepancies were differentially associated with children's externalizing symptoms. Findings suggest that discrepancies among informants' ratings of children's IPV exposure might have important implications for measurement, assessment, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric chronic pain evaluation includes self-reports and/or caregiver proxy-reports across biopsychosocial domains. Limited data exist on the effects of caregiver-child discrepancies in pediatric pain assessment. In children with chronic pain, we examined associations among discrepancies in caregiver-child reports of child anxiety and depressive symptoms and child functional impairment. METHODS: Participants were 202 children (Mage=14.49 ± 2.38 years; 68.8% female) with chronic pain and their caregivers (95.5% female). Children and caregivers completed the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) and RCADS-Parent, respectively. Children also completed the Functional Disability Inventory. Mean difference tests examined caregiver-child discrepancies. Moderation analyses examined whether associations between child self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms and functional impairment varied as a function of caregiver proxy-report. RESULTS: Children reported more anxiety and depressive symptoms compared with their caregivers proxy-reports (Z = -4.83, p < .001). Both informants reports of child anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with child functional impairment (rs = .44, rs = .30, p < .001). Caregiver proxy-report moderated associations between child-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms and functional impairment (B = -0.007, p = .003). When caregiver proxy-report was low, child self-reported anxiety and depressive symptoms were positively related to functional impairment (B = 0.28, SE = 0.07, 95% CI [0.15, 0.41], p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Discrepant caregiver-child perceptions of child anxiety and depressive symptoms may be associated with functioning in children with chronic pain, especially when caregivers report less child internalizing symptoms. These findings highlight the need for further examination of the effects of caregiver-child discrepancies on pediatric chronic pain outcomes and may indicate targets for intervention.

Comprehensive evaluations include data from multiple informants, but discrepancies occur on adaptive skill measures of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID). This study investigated discrepancies between parent-teacher ratings on a measure of adaptive behavior [Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3)] in a clinical sample of 115 youth. Agreement between informants was determined and then discrepancies were identified using paired-sample t-tests for the whole sample and subsamples. Factors associated with parent-teacher discrepancies were investigated including age, diagnoses, IQ, autism symptomology, and parent education. Parent-teacher scores were moderately correlated for the ABAS-3 composite and domains. Teachers rated youth with ASD and ID as having higher adaptive skills. Autism symptomology significantly predicted discrepancies between informants on the ABAS-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No studies have analyzed differences between mother, father, and teacher ratings of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS; formerly sluggish cognitive tempo). The sample included 1,115 children with autism and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 4–16 years of age who were rated by mothers on the Pediatric Behavior Scale. Subsets of these children were also rated by fathers and/or teachers, resulting in 896 mother/father, 964 mother/teacher, and 745 father/teacher dyads. The CDS factor comprised four items assessing the core features of CDS: cognitive disengagement (in a fog/confused and stares/preoccupied/in own world) and hypoactivity (sluggish/slow moving/low energy and drowsy/sleepy/not alert). Overall, 37% of teachers, 22% of mothers, and 16% of fathers rated the children as significantly elevated on CDS symptoms. Teacher scores were significantly higher than mother scores, whose scores exceeded those of fathers. Agreement on whether a child had CDS was fair–moderate for mothers and fathers but poor for parents and teachers. Findings of more severe CDS teacher than parent ratings are in marked contrast to the opposite pattern found in studies of anxiety, depression, ADHD, oppositional behavior, conduct problems, autism, bullying, and victimization. Children may display fewer behavior problems at school than at home, and parents may be more aware of their child's internal state than teachers. However, teachers may be more aware of the cognitive component of CDS that might interfere with functioning in the classroom more so than at home. Cognitive demands in school may reveal and intensify CDS symptoms. Findings highlight the importance of multi-informant ratings in research and clinical practice. Public Significance Statement: Cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS; formerly sluggish cognitive tempo) has two dimensions: cognitive disengagement (blank staring, daydreaming, in a fog) and hypoactivity (underactive, slow moving, lethargic, and drowsy). Teachers rated children with ADHD and autism as having more severe CDS symptoms than did parents (which is the opposite pattern found for behavior problems, anxiety, and depression), highlighting the importance of obtaining multi-informant ratings in research and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 6-year community study examined how discrepancies in mothers' and adolescents' perceptions of their relationship were longitudinally associated with adolescent internalizing symptoms, and vice versa. 497 adolescents (57% boys, Mage T1 = 13.03, SDage = 0.46) and their mothers reported in 6 annual waves on conflict and warmth in the mother-adolescent relationship and adolescents reported on their depressive and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms. Latent Congruence Models suggested that both adolescent depressive and GAD symptoms significantly predicted higher levels of conflict as well as stronger discrepancies in perceptions of conflict 1-year later. In turn, higher levels of conflict significantly predicted both adolescent depressive and GAD symptoms 1-year later. For warmth, lower levels significantly predicted adolescent depressive symptoms 1-year later. Concluding, these findings suggest (1) more systematic evidence for longitudinal associations between conflict than warmth in the mother-adolescent relationship and adolescent internalizing symptoms; (2) support for a transactional model, including support for both interpersonal scar or symptom-driven effects (concerning both levels of and mother-adolescent discrepancies in conflict) and interpersonal risk or relationship-driven effects (concerning levels of both conflict and warmth); (3) longitudinal effects from adolescent internalizing symptoms to mother-adolescent discrepancies, but not vice versa; and (4) strong consistency in patterns of findings across both adolescent depressive and GAD symptoms, with few differential longitudinal associations with aspects of mother-adolescent relationship quality. Thereby, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of the direction of effects between adolescent internalizing symptoms and both levels of and discrepancies in mothers' and adolescents' perceptions of their relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined psychometric properties, parent-youth agreement, and factors associated with agreement on the 12-item and 36-item versions of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 2.0. Methods: Data come from a clinical sample of 56 youth, aged 14-17 years, receiving mental health care at a pediatric hospital. Correlations between the WHODAS 2.0, KIDSCREEN-27, and demographic variables were used to assess validity. Internal consistency was measured using ordinal alpha. The Bland-Altman method and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to assess parent-youth agreement. Logistic regression examined factors associated with disagreement > 0.5 standard deviation. Results: For both parent and youth, correlations were low to moderate in exploring convergent (t= -0.42 to 0.01) and divergent validity (t/r = -0.12 to 0.32). Internal consistency was adequate (a > 0.7). Parent WHODAS 2.0 scores were significantly lower than youth scores and Bland-Altman plots revealed poor parent-youth agreement (ICC = -0.04 to 0.33). Lower household income was associated with lower odds of disagreement on the 35-item WHODAS 2.0 (OR= 0.28, 95% CI= 0.08-0.99), and older youth age was associated with lower odds of disagreement on the 12-item WHODAS 2.0 (OR= 0.40, 95% CI= 0.19-0.84). Conclusion: The psychometric properties of both WHODAS 2.0 versions were similar, so the abbreviated version may be sufficient to measure functional impairment in a clinical context. Additional research is needed to better understand the factors that influence discrepancies between informants and the implications for care. However, reports from both youth and parents appear valuable in understanding functional impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On page 1 of his classic text, Millsap (2011) states, “Measurement invariance is built on the notion that a measuring device should function the same way across varied conditions, so long as those varied conditions are irrelevant [emphasis added] to the attribute being measured.” By construction, measurement invariance techniques require not only detecting varied conditions but also ruling out that these conditions inform our understanding of measured domains (i.e., conditions that do not contain domain-relevant information). In fact, measurement invariance techniques possess great utility when theory and research inform their application to specific, varied conditions (e.g., cultural, ethnic, or racial background of test respondents) that, if not detected, introduce measurement biases, and, thus, depress measurement validity (e.g., academic achievement and intelligence). Yet, we see emerging bodies of work where scholars have “put the cart before the horse” when it comes to measurement invariance, and they apply these techniques to varied conditions that, in fact, may reflect domain-relevant information. These bodies of work highlight a larger problem in measurement that likely cuts across many areas of scholarship. In one such area, youth mental health, researchers commonly encounter a set of conditions that nullify the use of measurement invariance, namely discrepancies between survey reports completed by multiple informants, such as parents, teachers, and youth themselves (i.e., informant discrepancies). In this paper, we provide an overview of conceptual, methodological, and measurement factors that should prevent researchers from applying measurement invariance techniques to detect informant discrepancies. Along the way, we cite evidence from the last 15 years indicating that informant discrepancies reflect domain-relevant information. We also apply this evidence to recent uses of measurement invariance techniques in youth mental health. Based on prior evidence, we highlight the implications of applying these techniques to multi-informant data, when the informant discrepancies observed within these data might reflect domain-relevant information. We close by calling for a moratorium on applying measurement invariance techniques to detect informant discrepancies in youth mental health assessments. In doing so, we describe how the state of the science would need to fundamentally “flip” to justify applying these techniques to detect informant discrepancies in this area of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately assessing youth mental health involves obtaining reports from multiple informants who typically display low levels of correspondence. This low correspondence may reflect situational specificity. That is, youth vary as to where they display mental health concerns and informants vary as to where and from what perspective they observe youth. Despite the frequent need to understand and interpret these informant discrepancies, no consensus guidelines exist for integrating informants' reports. The path to building these guidelines starts with identifying factors that reliably predict the level and form of these informant discrepancies, and do so for theoretically and empirically relevant reasons. Yet, despite the knowledge of situational specificity, few approaches to integrating multi-informant data are well-equipped to account for these factors in measurement, and those that claim to be well-positioned to do so have undergone little empirical scrutiny. One promising approach was developed roughly 20 years ago by Kraemer and colleagues (2003). Their Satellite Model leverages principal components analysis (PCA) and strategic selection of informants to instantiate situational specificity in measurement, namely components reflecting variance attributable to the context in which informants observe behavior (e.g., home/non-home), the perspective from which they observe behavior (e.g., self/other), and behavior that manifests across contexts and perspectives (i.e., trait). The current study represents the first construct validation test of the Satellite Model. A mixedclinical/community sample of 134 adolescents and their parents completed six parallel surveys of adolescent mental health. Adolescents also participated in a series of simulated social interactions with research personnel trained to act as same-age, unfamiliar peers. A third informant (unfamiliar untrained observer) viewed these interactions and completed the same surveys as parents and adolescents. We applied the Satellite Model to each set of surveys and observed high internal consistency estimates for each of the six-item trait (α = 0.90), context (α = 0.84), and perspective (α = 0.83) components. Scores reflecting the trait, context, and perspective components displayed distinct patterns of relations to a battery of criterion variables that varied in the context, perspective, and source of measurement. The Satellite Model instantiates situational specificity in measurement and facilitates unifying conceptual and measurement models of youth mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrepancies in multi-informant reports of parenting practices represent a meaningful clinical construct that can be harnessed to predict adolescent mental health outcomes and shed light on the nature of parent-adolescent relationships. To date, however, no research has sought to examine discrepancies in perceptions of parenting practices among adolescents with histories of substance use disorders, a population for whom supportive parenting is a critical protective factor during the recovery process. This study examined parent-adolescent informant discrepancies of parenting practices and their associations with externalizing and internalizing symptomology among a sample of adolescents with substance use disorder histories. Data were analyzed from 294 adolescents (M adolescent age = 16 years; 45% female, 72% white) and their parents (87% female, 83% white) from a larger longitudinal study. Parenting practices of interest were positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, and poor monitoring. Polynomial regression analyses were used to test the discrepancy hypotheses. The results generally suggested null associations between single informant reports and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Discrepancies were noted, however, in multi-informant reports of positive parenting, such that higher levels of adolescent-reported positive parenting were associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms at high (but not low) levels of parent-reported positive parenting. Similarly, discrepancies were noted in multi-informant reports of poor monitoring, such that lower levels of adolescent-poor monitoring were associated with higher externalizing symptoms at low levels of parent-reported poor monitoring. The findings are discussed in terms of research and clinical implications of collecting and utilizing multi-informant data among clinical samples of adolescents with unique risk profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On page 1 of his classic text, Millsap (2011) states, “Measurement invariance is built on the notion that a measuring device should function the same way across varied conditions, so long as those varied conditions are irrelevant [emphasis added] to the attribute being measured.” By construction, measurement invariance techniques require not only detecting varied conditions but also ruling out that these conditions inform our understanding of measured domains (i.e., conditions that do not contain domain-relevant information). In fact, measurement invariance techniques possess great utility when theory and research inform their application to specific, varied conditions (e.g., cultural, ethnic, or racial background of test respondents) that, if not detected, introduce measurement biases, and, thus, depress measurement validity (e.g., academic achievement and intelligence). Yet, we see emerging bodies of work where scholars have “put the cart before the horse” when it comes to measurement invariance, and they apply these techniques to varied conditions that, in fact, may reflect domain-relevant information. These bodies of work highlight a larger problem in measurement that likely cuts across many areas of scholarship. In one such area, youth mental health, researchers commonly encounter a set of conditions that nullify the use of measurement invariance, namely discrepancies between survey reports completed by multiple informants, such as parents, teachers, and youth themselves (i.e., informant discrepancies). In this paper, we provide an overview of conceptual, methodological, and measurement factors that should prevent researchers from applying measurement invariance techniques to detect informant discrepancies. Along the way, we cite evidence from the last 15 years indicating that informant discrepancies reflect domain-relevant information. We also apply this evidence to recent uses of measurement invariance techniques in youth mental health. Based on prior evidence, we highlight the implications of applying these techniques to multi-informant data, when the informant discrepancies observed within these data might reflect domain-relevant information. We close by calling for a moratorium on applying measurement invariance techniques to detect informant discrepancies in youth mental health assessments. In doing so, we describe how the state of the science would need to fundamentally “flip” to justify applying these techniques to detect informant discrepancies in this area of work.

Accurately assessing youth mental health involves obtaining reports from multiple informants who typically display low levels of correspondence. This low correspondence may reflect situational specificity. That is, youth vary as to where they display mental health concerns and informants vary as to where and from what perspective they observe youth. Despite the frequent need to understand and interpret these informant discrepancies, no consensus guidelines exist for integrating informants’ reports. The path to building these guidelines starts with identifying factors that reliably predict the level and form of these informant discrepancies, and do so for theoretically and empirically relevant reasons. Yet, despite the knowledge of situational specificity, few approaches to integrating multi-informant data are well-equipped to account for these factors in measurement, and those that claim to be well-positioned to do so have undergone little empirical scrutiny. One promising approach was developed roughly 20 years ago by Kraemer and colleagues (2003). Their Satellite Model leverages principal components analysis (PCA) and strategic selection of informants to instantiate situational specificity in measurement, namely components reflecting variance attributable to the context in which informants observe behavior (e.g., home/non-home), the perspective from which they observe behavior (e.g., self/other), and behavior that manifests across contexts and perspectives (i.e., trait). The current study represents the first construct validation test of the Satellite Model. A mixed-clinical/community sample of 134 adolescents and their parents completed six parallel surveys of adolescent mental health. Adolescents also participated in a series of simulated social interactions with research personnel trained to act as same-age, unfamiliar peers. A third informant (unfamiliar untrained observer) viewed these interactions and completed the same surveys as parents and adolescents. We applied the Satellite Model to each set of surveys and observed high internal consistency estimates for each of the six-item trait (α = 0.90), context (α = 0.84), and perspective (α = 0.83) components. Scores reflecting the trait, context, and perspective components displayed distinct patterns of relations to a battery of criterion variables that varied in the context, perspective, and source of measurement. The Satellite Model instantiates situational specificity in measurement and facilitates unifying conceptual and measurement models of youth mental health.

Situational variation is consistently leveled as a criticism of character research and theory. Across adolescence, young people's realization that they may display certain character strengths in some relational contexts (e.g., with peers) but not in others (e.g., with parents) may reflect a normative, underlying process of differentiation. Using a diverse sample 618 adolescents, their mother, a peer, and nonfamilial adult, we used Response Surface Analysis (RSA) to examine associations between pairs of informant reports of patience and indicators of positive and negative functioning and how these associations varied with age. With increasing age, adolescents become more realistic in patience self-ratings. Results begin to shed light on both contextual and age-related differences in young people's patience and the continued need for theoretically grounded, developmentally informed research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential informants on child maltreatment include the youth who has experienced the alleged maltreatment, and the youth's caregivers, social workers and case files. When multiple informants are compared, they often disagree about whether or not a youth has experienced maltreatment. Such determinations are critical as endorsement—or lack of endorsement—of maltreatment can have significant consequences on the child's safety, future living arrangements and referral for treatment and services. The current study provides a systematic review of the literature on informant discrepancies in child maltreatment. Three databases—PsychINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed—were used to identify studies for the review and 13 articles met inclusion criteria. Results showed that more youth tend to report physical, sexual and emotional abuse than seen in case files. By contrast, more case files include neglect than reported by youth. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informant discrepancies are commonly observed in assessment of children but there is a lack of studies evaluating such discrepancies for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) dimensions and emotion dysregulation. Additionally, gender differences in relation to this topic have also received little attention. The goal of the current study was to examine how parents and teachers differ in their reports on ODD dimensions and emotion dysregulation. Using repeated measures, the first in preschool and the second at the end of first grade in elementary school, we assessed informant discrepancies looking specifically at two separate dimensions of ODD (irritability/mood related symptoms and defiant behavior/vindictiveness) as well as two aspects of emotion dysregulation (emotion regulation and lability/negativity). Potential gender differences were also assessed. Parents and teachers of 162 5–7-year-old children (43.2% girls and 56.8% boys) completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist and the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale. The results indicate relatively prominent informant discrepancies overall, especially between parents and teachers (Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.151–0.566), but better agreement was found among preschool and elementary school teachers (ICC = 0.499–0.753). Informant discrepancies were overall more evident for defiant behavior/vindictiveness compared to irritability/mood related symptoms of ODD. When informants assessed emotion regulation and lability/negativity, the inconsistencies were much more evident for emotion regulation. Lastly, boys were reported to have overall more severe symptoms than girls, but informant discrepancies were more evident for girls. These findings provide valuable evidence regarding the importance of considering informant discrepancies when conducting multi-informant assessment on young children. Highlights: Informant discrepancies were assessed for dimensions of ODD and emotion dysregulation. This study included both parent and teacher reports and repeated assessment. Discrepancies were more prominent between parent and teacher than different teachers. Boys had more severe symptoms, but informant discrepancies were more evident for girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-rater agreement about children's symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is crucial for accurately identifying and treating children with this condition. Decades of empirical research demonstrate that parents and teachers rarely agree about children's ADHD symptoms, yet few studies have tested the factors that relate to parent-teacher agreement. This exploratory study examined potential associations between parent-teacher agreement about child ADHD symptoms, and child factors (academic functioning, demographic characteristics, externalizing psychopathology, and social functioning), in a community (n = 752; mean age = 7.28; 51.3% male; 46.5% White) and in a clinical (n = 213; mean age = 8.58; 69.0% male; 70.4% White) sample. Agreement was examined using polynomial regression analyses, which overcome mathematical limitations and constraints imposed by using difference scores. Parent-teacher agreement about ADHD symptoms related to several academic and social functioning variables in the community sample. Most relationships were non-linear (e.g., quadratic, cubic). The 3-dimensional distribution of the results revealed that parent-teacher agreement was strongest for children functioning approximately 1 standard deviation below the mean (but not lower) on grades, academic enablers, academic performance, and social functioning. In the clinical sample, only teacher-rated social functioning related to parent-teacher agreement about ADHD symptoms. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of parent-teacher agreement, thereby advancing theoretical knowledge. An implication for assessment and treatment is that children with very poor, or conversely, very good, social and academic functioning are at risk for parent-teacher disagreement on ADHD symptom ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although limited, previous research has demonstrated that informants differ on their reports of childhood aggression subtypes (i.e., proactive and reactive). Further research is needed to understand how discrepancies between reporters may be moderated by other variables and how these associations may change over time. This study examined discrepancies between teacher and student reports of proactive and reactive aggression over an academic year (fall to spring) and evaluated whether teachers' perceptions of prosocial behavior moderate discrepancies among informants. Regression analyses were conducted in a sample of elementary school-aged youth (N = 310, mean age = 9.34, SD = 0.93) and their teachers (N = 17) twice over an academic year. T-test analyses indicated no difference in the magnitude of reporters' discrepancies across time. However, correlations indicated stronger associations between child and teacher reports of reactive aggression from Fall to Spring. Analyses indicated a positive association between informant reports of reactive, but not proactive, aggression. High levels of prosocial behavior increased informant agreement for reactive aggression across regression methods employed. However, prosocial behavior only increased informant agreement when difference scores in proactive aggression were evaluated. Findings suggest that discrepancies between teacher and child reports of aggression may minimally change over time and that teachers and students are more similar in their reports of reactive than proactive aggression, particularly when teacher perceptions of prosocial behavior are high. Implications and future directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous literature shows that family burden can lead to symptom-report discrepancies between parents and children. The present study sought to extend this research by investigating the influence of family burden factors, including socioeconomic status (SES) and family stress on informant discrepancies between parents and youths with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Participants were clinically referred youths with mTBI ages 8–17, consecutively seen in a hospital-based neuropsychology concussion clinic (N = 81; females = 54.3%). Parents and children completed the Behavioral Assessment for Children System (BASC) and the Postconcussive Symptom Scale (PCSS). Parents rated changes in family stress related to the mTBI (categorized as "no change," "minor change," or "major change") and provided information to calculate SES. Results revealed that family stress but not SES influenced parent-child report discrepancies for the BASC Internalizing Symptoms Index (F = 8.72(2, 79), p <.000), and that the discrepancies were independent of postconcussive symptom severity. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hopelessness is an important symptom of adolescent depression, being associated with both risk of suicide and poor treatment response, but predictors of hopelessness are understudied. Conflict with parents is common in adolescent depression, but parents and adolescents often disagree when reporting conflict severity. Discrepancy in reporting may be an indicator of the parent–adolescent dyad lacking a shared representation of the state of their relationship. This could make conflicts seem unresolvable to the adolescent, leading to expectations of persistent stress and lack of support, increasing hopelessness. This study employed latent difference scores, ordinal regression and cross-validation to evaluate the hypothesis that discrepancy in report of parent–adolescent conflict would predict hopelessness among depressed adolescents. Parents reporting less conflict than the adolescent was associated with increased adolescent hopelessness, giving preliminary support to the hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Associations between maternal depression and child behaviour problems may be biased due to depression-related distortions in the maternal reports. In this study, we compared the agreement between maternal, teacher and child ratings of hyperactivity/inattention (H/I), conduct (CD) and emotional (EM) problems measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in a population with depressed and non-depressed mothers. The sample of 12,961 11-year-old children was drawn from the Danish National Birth Cohort. We also examined the association between maternal depression before and during the child's life and child H/I, CD and EM problems when reported by the different informants. Agreement between the informants was assessed with the Bland–Altman limits of agreement (LOA) and associations were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. We found large discrepancies between maternal and teacher ratings of child behavioural problems measured with the SDQ and less discrepancy between maternal and child self-ratings. Better agreement between informants was found in the population of depressed mothers compared to non-depressed mothers for H/I and CD problems, and not for EM symptoms. The LOA for all three subscales were wide in both populations, with the largest intervals ranging from − 6 (Lower LOA) to 3 (Upper LOA) for H/I. Statistically significant associations were found between maternal depression, and child H/I and CD problems when reported by the mother but not the teacher and only by the child, when maternal depression had been present during the child's life. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering each informants' ratings when obtaining ratings from multiple sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Children and adolescents, and their parents, often provide divergent assessments with regard to children's and adolescents' mental health. This paper addresses influential factors regarding discrepancies between mothers' and children's/adolescents' reports on externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. The focus is on maternal characteristics (maternal depression, maternal parenting stress, and maternal perception of the relationship to their child) that may contribute to the emergence of discrepancies. Methods: An empirical study with 1601 children and adolescents between the ages of 10 to 16 years, and 1119 mothers, was conducted addressing temporal relationships between maternal characteristics and informant discrepancies, with repeated assessments after 6 months. Results: Based on polynomial regression, maternal parenting stress and negatively evaluated mother–child relationships proved to be the most important influential variables on the emergence of informant discrepancies. In addition, the results provided evidence for bidirectional influences between informant discrepancies and maternal characteristics (especially maternal depression and negative evaluations of the mother–child relationship). All significant relationships to maternal characteristics were restricted to externalizing behavior. Conclusions: Findings suggest that specific maternal characteristics, which might influence maternal interpretations, explain the occurrence of informant discrepancies regarding externalizing problems. Conversely, informant discrepancies regarding externalizing problems predicted maternal characteristics. Accordingly, a reciprocal relationship between informant discrepancies and maternal characteristics seems likely and should be the subject to future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrepancies in parent-adolescent reports of parenting practices may reveal important information about parent-adolescent relationship quality. Youth attachment security has been identified as a factor that may explain discrepancies between parents and adolescents in reporting on parenting. However, previous research has not examined this question among clinical samples, and has generally utilized non-optimal analytic strategies in modeling discrepancies. The current study aimed to extend previous work by using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns of mother-adolescent divergence in reports of parenting in a large clinical sample, examining the characteristics of discrepancy groups in terms of age, gender, and psychopathology, and examining associations between attachment and discrepancies. A sample of adolescents with psychiatric disorders (N = 416; ages 12-17) and their mothers completed reports of parenting practices. Adolescents also completed the Child Attachment Interview and a measure of psychopathology. LPA was used to identify groups of mother-adolescent dyads with similar patterns of divergence across domains of parenting. Chi-square, ANOVA, and logistic regression analyses were used to test associations between youth age, gender, psychopathology, and attachment and mother-adolescent discrepancy profile membership. Three discrepancy profiles emerged: Strong Divergence, Moderate Divergence, and Low Divergence. Youth in the Moderate Divergence profile were oldest and had highest levels of externalizing pathology. Youth with insecure (dismissing and preoccupied) attachment, relative to securely attached youth, were more likely to be in the Strong Divergence profile. Securely attached adolescents were more likely to be in Low or Moderate Divergence profiles. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background This study investigates gender differences in self-reports and between parent and child reports in Health-related Quality of Life (HRQOL), measured with disease-specific and generic instruments for chronic disease. Comparison of HRQOL results in this Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) sample to a European cohort of children with JIA and one of children with other health conditions are also made. Methods Fifty-three children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), aged 8–18 years, and their parents completed the condition-specific DISABKIDS for JIA, and the DISABKIDS generic instrument for chronic conditions (DCGM-37) in a cross-sectional study. European reference data were used for comparison of child and parental reports. Results Child self-reports in DCGM-37 and DISABKIDS for JIA showed no gender differences. Parental and child reports of the child’s HRQOL differed only in DCGM-37; this was among girls who scored their independence (p = 0.03), physical limitation (p = 0.01), social exclusion (p = 0.03), emotions (p

Parental warmth during the transition from childhood to adolescence is a key protective factor against a host of adolescent problems, including substance use, maladjustment, and diminished well-being. Moreover, adolescents and parents often disagree in their perceptions of parenting quality, and these discrepancies may confer risk for problem outcomes. The current study applies latent profile analysis to a sample of 687 mother-father-6th grade adolescent triads to identify patterns of adolescent-parent convergence and divergence in perceptions of parental warmth. Five profiles were identified, and associations with adolescent positive well-being, substance use, and maladjustment outcomes in 9th grade were assessed. Patterns of divergence in which adolescents had a pronounced negative perception of parental warmth compared to parents, as well as those wherein pronounced divergence was present in only one adolescent-parent dyad, were associated with diminished positive well-being compared to adolescents who had more positive perceptions of warmth than parents. Having more negative perceptions of warmth compared to parents was also associated with elevated risk for alcohol and marijuana initiation, but only when the divergence was pronounced rather than more moderate. These findings add nuance to findings from previous between-family investigations of informant discrepancies, calling for further family-centered methods for investigating multiple perspectives.

Parents and adolescents may hold discrepant views about parents' behaviors, which may be related to adolescent maladjustment. The goal of the present investigation was to examine associations between overprotective parenting and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems and the frustration of their psychological needs (for autonomy, relatedness and competence), thereby considering both congruence and incongruence in adolescents' and mothers' reports of overprotective parenting. Our sample consisted of 402 mother-adolescent dyads (M adolescent age = 16.8 years, 63% female), who reported upon the mothers' overprotective parenting. In addition, adolescents filled out questionnaires assessing their internalizing and externalizing problems and psychological need frustration. Data were analyzed using polynomial regressions with response surface analysis. Results showed evidence for a linear, additive relationship between adolescents' and mothers' reports of overprotective parenting, and adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms and relatedness and competence frustration. That is, higher scores in adolescents' and mothers' ratings of overprotective parenting were associated with more maladjustment and more need frustration. Moreover, results indicated that incongruence between adolescents' and mothers' reports related to more externalizing problems and more autonomy and relatedness frustration, and this was especially the case when adolescents perceived higher levels of overprotection than what was reported by mothers. These results underscore the importance of considering multiple perspectives when studying the dynamics involved in overprotective parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The current study examined parent-adolescent discrepancies in reports of family functioning and their relation to attachment styles, depressive symptomatology, and suicidal ideation in a diverse sample of adolescents (49.7% African American, 15.5% Hispanic/Latino, 28.7% White, 81.9% female). Methods: Participants were 129 adolescents (ages 12–18) and one caregiver (79% mothers). Adolescents had met inclusion criteria in a Randomized Clinical Trial for depressed and suicidal adolescents. Measures of family functioning, symptoms, and attachment styles were assessed at baseline prior to treatment. Results: On average, adolescents reported less family cohesion compared to caregivers (t (127) = −3.01, p = 0.003) but similar levels of family conflict (p> 0.05). Polynomial regression models demonstrated that avoidant attachment styles with mother figures were associated with adolescent-reported family conflict when parents reported low family conflict (b = 0.79, SE = 0.24, p < 0.01). Conclusions: It is possible that avoidant attachment styles are linked to mistuned patterns of communication that in turn, enhance differing views of family conflict. Conversely, an avoidant attachment style may be maintained when adolescents perceive family conflict that is not validated by their caregiver. This study supports and extends previous findings that discrepant views of family functioning indicate problems in the parent-adolescent relationship. Findings are consistent with research demonstrating the clinical relevance of informant discrepancies beyond information obtained from only one respondent's report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Husbands and wives often provide different reports about the qualities of their relationship—a pattern of reporting that is often discounted as measurement error. In the present study, we tested three research questions related to perceptions of marital conflict in a sample of 123 married couples. First, we tested whether individual and partner attachment and depressive symptoms were associated with reports of conflict. Then, we examined whether these characteristics also explain absolute and directional discrepancies in reports of marital conflict. Finally, we examined how discrepancies in reports of marital conflict might be related to discrepancies in other dyadic reports within the family. Analyses revealed that individuals' attachment avoidance and anxiety, but not depressive symptoms, were linked to their own perceptions of marital conflict. Further, partners' attachment anxiety was positively associated with one's own perceptions of marital conflict. Additional analyses revealed that wives' attachment avoidance was positively associated with absolute discrepancies about conflict. Wives' attachment avoidance predicted directional discrepancies, such that they reported relatively more conflict than their husbands reported as their attachment avoidance increased. Husbands' attachment anxiety was marginally associated with overreporting conflict relative to their wives' reports. Finally, discrepancies in spouses' reports of marital conflict were associated with mother–adolescent and father–adolescent discrepancies in reports of parent–adolescent conflict. Results highlight the importance of measuring both partners' perceptions of the relationship in order to capture meaningful variation in multi-informant reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to understand subjectivity have historically involved distinguishing the strengths of subjective methods (e.g., survey ratings from informants) from those of alternative methods (e.g., observational/performance-based tasks). Yet a movement is underway in Psychology that considers the merits of intersubjectivity: Understanding the space between two or more informant's subjective impressions of a common person or phenomenon. In mental health research, understanding differences between subjective impressions have less to do with informants' characteristics and more to do with the social environments or contexts germane to the people or phenomena examined. Our article focuses on one relatively understudied social environment: the cultural context. We draw from seminal work on psychological universals, as well as emerging work on cultural norms (i.e., cultural tightness) to understand intersubjectivity effects through a cross-cultural lens. We report a meta-analysis of 314 studies of intersubjectivity effects in mental health, revealing that (a) this work involves independent research teams in more than 30 countries, (b) informants rating a target person's mental health (e.g., parent and teacher ratings of a child's behavior) commonly provide diverging estimates of that person's mental health, and (c) greater convergence between subjective reports relates to a "tighter" or more norms-bound culture. Our article illustrates strategies for understanding divergence between subjective reports. In particular, we highlight theoretical and methodological frameworks for examining patterns of divergence between subjective reports in relation to data from nonsubjective methods. We also describe how research on intersubjectivity informs efforts to improve the interpretability of subjective assessments in multiple subdisciplines in Psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychosocial functioning plays a key role in students' wellbeing and performance inside and outside of school. As such, techniques designed to measure and improve psychosocial functioning factor prominently in school-based service delivery and research. Given that the different contexts (e.g., school, home, community) in which students exist vary in the degree to which they influence psychosocial functioning, educators and researchers often rely on multiple informants to characterize intervention targets, monitor intervention progress, and inform the selection of evidence-based services. These informants include teachers, students, and parents. Across research teams, domains, and measurement methodologies, researchers commonly observe discrepancies among informants' reports. We review theory and research—occurring largely outside of school-based service delivery and research—that demonstrates how patterns of informant discrepancies represent meaningful differences that can inform our understanding of psychosocial functioning. In turn, we advance a research agenda to improve use and interpretation of informant discrepancies in school-based services and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined informant discrepancies for parent and teacher adaptive behavior ratings of 103 children, ages 6–12 years, with ASD (without intellectual disability). Scores on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, third edition (Harrison and Oakland, Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, 2015) General Adaptive Composite (GAC) and practical, social, and conceptual domains were examined for mean differences, level of agreement, and moderators of difference scores between informant groups. Teacher scores were significantly higher (indicating better functioning) than parents for the GAC and practical domain. Parent and teacher scores were moderately correlated and Bland–Altman plots and regression analyses revealed no systematic differences in parent–teacher agreement across the range of scores. None of the tested variables moderated the parent–teacher difference scores. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ADHD symptoms show considerable individual variation in the contexts in which they are expressed. It has previously been proposed that subtyping individuals according to the contexts in which symptoms are expressed may be clinically useful. We examined context-based patterns of ADHD symptoms in a longitudinal cohort study of n = 1388 children, as well as context-specific and context-general predictors of symptoms. Participants were community-ascertained and provided ADHD symptom data at ages 7, 9, and 11. Using growth mixture modelling we identified five inattention and five hyperactivity/impulsivity categories that differed in the developmental patterns of symptoms reported by parent and teacher informants. We found some evidence that context-specific predictors were related to context-specific expressions. Specifically, after controlling for other risk factors for ADHD symptoms, relationships with teachers predicted school-specific (teacher-reported) but not home-specific (parent-reported) symptom levels. However, no subtypes defined by exclusively home-based symptoms emerged, suggesting that while symptoms may sometimes be specific to the school context, they are only rarely confined to the home context. Subtyping by context could be informative; however, further work will required to uncover the nature of any etiological, functional, or outcome differences between those who show symptom expression in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family relationships play an essential role in adolescent development. When studying relationship domains (e.g., quality, conflict, communication), researchers typically rely on adolescents and their parents as informants. However, across research teams, domains, and methods of measurement, researchers commonly observe discrepant estimates of family relationships between informants' reports. In this article, we review theoretical models for understanding these discrepant reports, summarize research on how the degree of discrepancy between reports informs our understanding of adolescent development, and highlight directions for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mother-child discrepancies frequently occur in reports of child physical abuse. Such report discrepancies raise important challenges for interpreting and integrating data from multiple informants in forensic and clinical settings. The main goal of this study was to identify patterns of mother-child discrepancies in reporting CPA using latent profile analysis. We then tested differences between profiles on mothers' mental health problems and children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Participants and setting. Participants were 159 mother-child dyads with police-documented exposure to intimate partner violence. Participants were recruited from Child Protective Services and shelter residences from all regions of Portugal. After obtaining informed consent, assessment protocols were administered separately to mothers and children. We identified two convergent profiles (mother-child agreement on reports of both high and low exposure to CPA) and one divergent profile (the child reported significantly higher exposure to CPA than the mother). Mothers from the divergent profile reported more depressive and post-traumatic stress symptoms than mothers from the convergent profiles. Children of the divergent profile and one of the convergent profiles (mother-child agreement on high exposure to CPA) showed the highest internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These results illustrate how examining informant discrepancies in the assessment of abusive parenting practices increases our understanding of children's psychological adjustment in high-risk contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examined informant discrepqancies of self-harm among youth involved in CPS. • Only 10% of caregiver-child dyads agreed on children's engagement in self-harm. • Individual, home, and family-level factors were linked to self-harm discrepancies. Youth involved with child protective services (CPS) are at elevated risk for engaging in self-harm. Participation in interventions or treatments that may reduce youths' self-harm behaviors often depends on the accurate reporting of their self-injurious behaviors. However, informants often disagree on the presence or severity of self-harm engagement, making the identification of youth in need of treatment more challenging. The current study aims to characterize discrepancies between youth and caregiver reports of children's self-harm among a sample of youth with a history of CPS involvement, and to identify factors (e.g., demographics, youth and caregiver psychological impairments, aspects of the caregiving environment) associated with these discrepancies. Participants (N = 258) were drawn from a large, nationally representative sample of youth under the age of 18 (mean age = 13.8) and their caregivers who were investigated by CPS. Multinomial logistic regressions were used to examine correlates of discrepancies in caregiver and youth reports of youth self-harm. Results indicated that 10% of caregiver-child dyads agreed on children's engagement in self-harm. In 33% of cases, only the child reported self-harm and in 57% of cases, only the caregiver reported youth self-harm. Being a biological caregiver, child female sex, higher levels of internalizing symptoms, greater post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and greater caregiver alcohol use was associated with a lower likelihood of caregivers reporting self-harm only. Older child age, lower externalizing symptoms, higher PTSD symptoms, and greater levels of caregiver emotional security and structure were linked to lower odds of children reporting self-harm only. These results underscore important factors to consider when assessing self-harm among youth involved with CPS and have potential implications for practice guidelines in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of multiple informants (e.g., caregivers and teachers) is recommended to obtain a comprehensive profile of children's social emotional development. Evidence to date indicates that only a small-to-moderate degree of convergence exists between different informants' assessments of children's social-emotional functioning, especially when the contexts of such informants' observations are also different. However, whether caregivers and teachers primarily disagree about children's dispositional emotional tendencies or situational emotional fluctuations remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the extent to which caregivers and teachers converged in their evaluation of children's dispositional and state sympathy (i.e., a relatively internal and low visibility emotional response of concern for another's wellbeing) in a nationally representative sample of Swiss children (N = 1,273) followed from 6 to 12 years of age. Using analyses based in latent state–trait theory, we found that caregivers and teachers showed moderate-to-large agreement (r = 0.510) at the dispositional, trait level of children's sympathy, but only a small level of agreement in their assessments of children's situational, state-like manifestations of sympathy (r = 0.123). These findings highlight the differential convergence of adults' ratings of one core dimension of children's social-emotional development, i.e., sympathy, at the dispositional and situational levels, and, relatedly the need to investigate the reasons behind discrepancies at both levels of analysis. We elaborate on practical implications for designing social-emotional screening tools across different informants and contexts.