NCJ Number
206304
Journal
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 43 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 878-886
Date Published
July 2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined parent-child agreement on symptoms in the assessment of anxiety in youths.
Abstract
Participants were 98 children (54 boys and 44 girls), 7 to 14 years old, who met diagnostic criteria for separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder. The diagnostic and symptom data were obtained with the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children and Parents. This is a semistructured diagnostic interview that assesses child psychopathology with particular coverage of internalizing disorders. The child and parent versions collect data from the child and the parent that relate to the child's anxiety. In comparing parent-child agreement at the symptom level with parent-child agreement at the diagnostic level, phi coefficients were computed for each disorder at the diagnostic and symptom levels. The analysis found that parent-child agreement at the symptom level was stronger than agreement at the diagnostic level for all three disorders (separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, or generalized anxiety disorder). Parent-child agreement was stronger for observable symptoms than for unobservable symptoms and weaker for school-based symptoms than for non-school-based symptoms. In cases of discrepancies in symptom reports, the direction of disagreement varied according to the type of symptoms. These findings reinforce the need for a multi-informant approach in the assessment of childhood anxiety. Also, given the low parent-child agreement at the symptom level in the assessment of child anxiety, clinicians should consider that a disorder is present if either the child's or the parent's report meets criteria for that disorder. This increases the likelihood that all clinical cases will be included. 3 tables and 38 references